Aloha, my lovely readers – it's such a joy to write 4 u all again.

CHAPTER THREE:

Departure

What if you were rewriting the history of your kind?

In the night, the Land of the Clouds looked like a milky sea – with the moon shining its golden light upon the ocean of clouds that drifted across in the air. It was still and undisturbed, a serene picture of peace. The angels had lived like this for centuries, without turmoil (except for when there was stormy weather of course – they would have to move to calmer areas when one was sensed).

There is a tale among angels that tells of a long, long time ago, when angels used to live on Earth among all the creatures that inhabited it then.

Angels were revered by the human race. They were perfection and grace in their eyes. The world had been a joyous, carefree place – with goodness and light upon it-

-Until the vampires evolved.

The bloodthirsty vampires came pensively, like an ivy beginning to creep up a healthy tree. Soon they had become a terror amongst both angels and humans.

The vampires, crazy in their thirst for the divine blood that only angels possess, began to feast on them without mercy. The Earth was a bloodbath. Soon, there were few angels left on the planet, for angels cannot reproduce as quickly as humans can.

Thus, without any way to replenish their losses, the angel race was slowly becoming extinct.

Finally, there came a day when a group of angels met in a secret place and agreed that there was only one way to survive. They would have to escape to a place where the vampires would not be able to hunt them down.

And there was only one such place. The few angels that had survived the wrath of the vampires then unfolded their wings (which had been hidden and unused for most their lives; there had been no need of them before) and they flew off into the clear sky – like graceful birds flapping their grand, snow-white wings.

That was the day when angels left the earth and lived in the sky. Humans, after hundreds and hundreds of years, forgot the existence of the beautiful angel race they had once lived beside and remembered them only as mythical creatures of elegance, of life, and of goodness.

Angels, humans, and vampires have similar appearances, but angels have a peaceful tendency and rarely fight or allow themselves to be swayed by evil. They are just and fair, seeking harmony and not discord.

Humans are the pliable race, the ones so easily influenced by things around them, the ones who can be molded and changed. They are always in the middle of the spectrum, for humankind is a mixture of good and evil, and they themselves are the ones to decide which is to prevail.

Vampires are on the dark side of the spectrum – slowly becoming sinister and sinful as time does its damage to them, and as they become more welcoming to the blood they drink. This isn't true for all vampires, for some can become good, but there is an inborn inclination in them all to be violent, to hurt.

And because of the vampires' will to hurt, the angels' refuge now was the sky, the clouds, and the altitude. Forever after it would be this way. Not a single one would ever cross the lowest cloud in the sky once more.

Not until now, when Council Leader of the angels would abide by the call of fate (and partly law), and would accordingly make a decision in court. It was an important decision – perhaps the most important one in years. But no one had questioned it, for it had not been a decision that he himself had willed. It was a decision that only fate had the power to command, and all the angels in the Council understood this.

The law would always be questioned.

But none could question fate.

This very night, as the full moon shone in the sky, Aliah would soar beneath the clouds – beneath the very last one - and would begin the most important journey of her entire life, and fate had chosen her to be the one to do it.

For the first time in thousands of years, an angel would go down to the Earth.

Aliah - a young, inexperienced, angel – was about to rewrite the history of the entire angel race.

Hundreds of angels floated among the clouds to watch the young female fly into a world of unknown danger and horror. They all knew the significance of this night– they knew very well the ways of fate.

But somehow, they all felt that despite Aliah's vulnerability she would prevail in The World Underneath. She would find a way to overcome the danger and fear she would find there. They saw her face – full of courage and fearless drive, and they all felt reassured for her safety.

Aliah wore a subtle blue dress so that she would be hard to see in the dark. She had been instructed that no one should see her flying, for they did not know how creatures on Earth would react to an angel. As long as her wings were hidden and her feet were on the ground, she could pass as a human. On her finger was a dull ring. She had been told that the ring would glow brightly when it was time to return.

Her heart raced with excitement. She still could not believe she would be allowed to see what angels did not even dare speak of. In the past, she had ached to see just a glimpse of what lay beneath the clouds. Now she could actually be there.

The fact that she had been chosen to do this, that she was the one to take the biggest risk that any of her kind had ever taken – was irrelevant to her. The only thing she saw was her own wish being fulfilled this night.

The entire Council had arrived here to witness the rewriting of history, to witness for themselves the power of fate, Law, curiosity, and determination. They stood in a circle around Aliah, their eyes fixed on her as they took in every detail and made note of it. This was too important a moment to miss.

The Council Leader stood directly in front of Aliah, his face firm and unrevealing. Inside him, however, was a feeling of tension and worry for her. He could not help but wonder, as did the rest of the Council, if they were sending her not on a fateful journey, but to her own death. He knew that vampires on earth would thirst for her divine blood, and could use her inexperience and fragility to their advantage. Not only vampires posed a threat; but humans also could be dangerous in their own ways. If they discovered that she was different, a foreign creature on their earth – they would treat her as they treat everything they could not explain or could not understand. They would perhaps attempt to destroy her.

But he trusted fate. Fate could protect her from the evils of The World Underneath.

And as he looked into her eyes and saw the courage in her spirit he realized that her bravery and determination was her asset, and it would serve her well.

He turned his head up to the high skies, and saw that the moon had reached its zenith. It was time.

He looked again at Aliah, and nodded. She nodded back, understanding the message. Then, she unfolded her wings. They beat strongly in the night sky as they shimmered in the moonlight.

All was still that moment, as every angel waited in the silence. Aliah then flew across the cloud like a celestial bird.

And then she was gone as she flew under the last puffy cloud. Gone into The World Underneath.

Yay!

I really hope I didn't overdo the fate thing. I mean, it is important, so I had to stress it.

Well, I hoped you liked it.

And the review option is right there in front of you… yes… that's right - you know you should be clicking it right now…