War in Heaven
The Beginning: Part Three

Abdiel flew as high and fast as he could over Heaven’s great expanse, not wanting to waste any time. Every single second he tarried, Lucifer’s rebellion would grow, that much he was sure of. Abdiel, strong in faith, was not worried about the possibility of an overthrow, rather, he was concerned for the integrity of his fellow angels’ souls. The less that were corrupted by the Morning Star’s lies, the better. Clearing entire fields in seconds, Abdiel made his way towards the very center of Heaven and the Throne of God itself, where nearby the Archangel Michael was sure to be.

“I must see the Archangel!” Abdiel shouted at the Seraphim guards around Michael’s encampment. “I have critical information about an insurrection that must be passed along. In the name of God, let me pass!” The Seraphim, seeing that Abdiel’s heart was true and pure, stepped aside, and in Abdiel flew.

What he saw surprised him greatly: There was a huge encampment filled to the brim with angels; a force that surely matched Lucifer’s in number. Each angel was either armed or in the process of being equipped, and their armaments gleamed equally brightly as did their rebel counterparts’. Dwarfing it all was a gigantic command tent that was sure to contain Michael. Abdiel made his way towards the tent, again guarded by Seraphim, but this time they let him in without a word.

Once inside, Abdiel could not help but gape. He had never seen such a collection of high-ranking angels present in one place before; the only angel of comparable rank that was not present was Lucifer himself. Michael, his true form almost imperceptible thanks to the blazing and radiant glory that surrounded him, looked up and bode Abdiel welcome, motioning Abdiel to join the council. Somewhat taken aback, Abdiel took closer stock of his peers.

The three Great Archangels were the most prominent in the command tent, with Michael the most so. Abdiel, though he would never admit it, and despite his unwavering faith in God, was struck a bit fearful when he was face-to-face with Lucifer. This was perfectly reasonable, as Lucifer was an extremely powerful angel. However, what remained of that fear completely evaporated upon gazing at Michael. The Prince of the angels and High Commander of the Army of Heaven was truly a majestic figure to behold, radiating powerful red light. His sword, unused and at his side, gleamed a soft reddish-light glow, a foreshadowing of the brilliant pure white flame it would radiate when in the heat of battle. Yes, as long as the angels still had Michael on their side, all would be well.

Michael’s second-in-command was the archangel Gabriel, a powerful figure in his own right. If Michael represented fire, Gabriel did so for water, his outer calmness masking his devastating potential. Mainly the Messenger of God, Gabriel was a more-than-capable warrior who had been primarily summoning all angels near and far to assist in the upcoming battle against Lucifer’s legions. If Michael were somehow to fall in combat, Gabriel would take command, where his fighting prowess and communication skills would serve him well.

The last Great Archangel was Raphael, less of a fighter than the other two but could still hold his own. Raphael, who represented air, was more of a healer and a benevolent soul. He also passed on knowledge from any and all possible subjects to those who sought it. These tasks made Raphael a valuable force, and his presence was deeply respected at the council.

Amongst the lesser archangels - of which Abdiel could count himself as company - sat Uriel, who had the sharpest eyes in all of Heaven and could keep an accurate estimation of Lucifer’s current forces, and what they were up to. There was also Seraphiel, chief of all the Seraphim, Metatron, the embodiment of universal understanding and universal knowledge, and Jehoel, who headed all of the Heavenly singing, amongst others.

Abdiel, now realizing that of course the other Archangels would have heard about Lucifer’s rebellion, decided not to say anything after all, and merely waited for Michael to deliver his final opinion. The other archangels remained respectfully silent as the Prince drew himself up.

“The Lord has seen fit to grant us, His eternal subjects, with free will, so that we may do as we please. However, this free will does not grant us the right to rise up and attempt to overthrow He who is both omnipotent and benevolent, He who made us all. These rebellious angels have made their choice – now they are to face the consequences. We shall muster our entire force and meet Lucifer in battle and cleanse this place of his pestilence.” The other angels nodded silently at Michael’s decision, and they filed out of the command tent, one by one.

Quickly and orderly, the loyalist angels organized themselves based on the chain of command, and soon battalions formed and they flew out to one of the particularly large fields that Abdiel had flown over earlier. This field, large and beautiful even by Heaven’s standards, was previously unoccupied but that had since changed, as Lucifer’s army had moved there in force.

The two armies landed, staring at each other, with Michael and Lucifer at their respective heads. The War in Heaven was about to begin.

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If all goes well, I'll have the game up tonight.