An Angel's Mark (God's Creatures #1)

By Christine Adwoa Owusuaa

In the beginning, God said, "Let there be light!" and now it could all end up in darkness. As humanity gives in to the darkness within them, the doors to Hell crack open, ever wider. Lucifer sits upon his throne in his new stronghold above the surface and awaits God's final challenge, having planned for just about everything God could use against him, defiant in his belief that he will never again rule the scorching pits below.

Lucifer’s only weakness is the crippling pride that caused him to fall in the first place, it blinds him to the seven human women that have the power to defeat him. The marked ones, alone, have the power to remind Lucifer of his rightful place. However, Lucifer is not the only being unaware of their powers, as the young women themselves know nothing of their gifts. So, since Eve helped place humanity on the path to self-destruction, it will take seven of her female descendants and their angelic guardians to take them off of it.

After all, God is nothing, if not a fan of irony.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christine Adwoa Owusuaa
• Release date: Jun 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463205822

Christine Adwoa Owusuaa

Christine Adwoa Owusuaa is the daughter of Ghanaian parents who moved to the UK before she was born, for her father to obtain his PhD, thereby providing her with a beautiful and in-depth world view, that they allowed her to build upon, explore and define for herselfShe has a degree in Biomedical Sciences but feels there is more to her that needs to be investigated and detailed through her stories, faith, intellect and outlook on relationships.Her interests include listening to music, reading, spending endless hours on the phone with her sister chatting about any and everything, from politics to the world of celebrities and pop culture. She also spends a considerable number of hours exploring ideas such as the origins of the Universe, and the psychology behind the global power dynamics that we know today.Her goal is to write books inspired by the best and the worst of humanity, to highlight just how wonderful we can be when we work together to protect our integrity, grace, honour, courage and humility. She owes many thanks to the countless libraries made to accessible to her as a child and the incredible authors who made her wildest dreams come alive in the night-time. She also finds inspiration in peers and booktubers, who continue to keep their fingers on the pulse, of what readers want to imagine.So, here's to hoping the books she has in the works are a living breathing testament to the fact that God is good, and have you reading them over and over again, just like she did with all her favourites:After all,“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”― Oscar WildeYou can find Christine at:https://www.quotev.com/ChristineAOhttps://www.inkitt.com/Christine_AOhttps://www.wattpad.com/user/Christine_AOhttps://www.goodreads.com/christine_ao

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An Angel’s Mark

Copyright 2020 Christine Adwoa Owusuaa

Published by Christine Adwoa Owusuaa at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my mother for raising me to be bold, positive and God-fearing, and my father for always encouraging me to think for myself. I would also like to thank my sister for her endless support and friendship, and my grandparents for showing me the kind of love and encouragement that lasts generations. I also can’t thank my GCSE English Teacher enough, for the confidence she imbued in all of us, especially when it came to voicing our opinions. Thanks must also go to the many friends and peers I have had throughout the years, for showing me just how insightful, prolific and devastatingly honest a young mind can be.

Most importantly, I give all due praise and absolute thanks to the Almighty, whose joy is my strength and whose grace is my salvation. There is power in the name of Jesus and whilst my books may act as an introduction to the God I know and love for some, I implore everyone to seek solace in the books that I write, as an extension of the Lord’s divine blessing and inspiration. Every book I write will be an extension of every bit of pain, disappointment, anger and doubt that has been conquered and transformed by the joy and endless love that God fortified in me.

So, I pray that this book brings you abounding joy and reverie, as a true testament of the work the Lord continues to do in all of us, regardless of how much work we still have to do and what we have done before, to betray, deny and disappoint him.

Prologue – God’s Plan

As God sat in the newly formed Heavens and looked upon his creation, a jubilant smile danced across his face, as he watched Adam chase Eve around Eden’s gardens. Even though Adam could clearly see Eve’s voluminous coily hair sticking out from behind one of the perfectly formed trees, he decided to let her have her fun and pretending not to have seen her, set off in search of a particularly beautiful flower to gift her with, on his return. What happened next would be remembered for all of eternity, and as the story goes, Eve was convinced by a snake to eat fruit from the Tree of Wisdom, which she then offered to Adam. The smile that once painted God’s face, fell as quickly as it had formed, and he descended from the Heavens onto the Earth, in a flash of vibrant colours and a gust of wind. He quickly reprimanded Eve, decreeing that both she and the snake would be rightfully punished and that Adam would share in his wrath too, and so, it would be the descendants of Adam and Eve, that would carry the sinful marks of their treacherous deeds.

Shortly afterwards, as God rose back up to the Heavens, he felt the sharp pain of regret blossom within him.

Did I make a mistake? He said, to no one in particular.

As the Creator, he was all-knowing and had never been afforded the ignorance of not knowing how the path of creating humanity would play out. He knew a day would come when the majority of humanity would walk the Earth with no faith in him at all. Humanity would ignore his word and even go as far as to brand it fiction; lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride would be ever-present, as humanity strayed further and further away from his light. However, God had also known that by granting humans free will, he was ensuring that they evoked both happiness and disappointment within him, in unequal measure. Regardless, human beings were a favourite of his amongst his creation, because just when he believed that they were beyond saving, a single act of kindness would remind him of their true potential to be an example to all of the rest. Over many millennia, as he created his angels with his divine hands, they would often suggest to him that humanity was undeserving of his infinite love for them.

Many years later, one angel even went as far as to declare humanity flawed beyond redemption. Lucifer, then a young angel, was sorely mistaken in his commentary, and God was quick to remind him of that.

Humanity forms the best and the worst of creation. God would say, but time and time again, his words fell on deaf ears.

Yes, I can see how incredible it can be when humans choose the difficult path of believing in you, especially when the world around them says otherwise. However, many humans do not believe in you, and they fall victim to a number of the cardinal sins. Many humans live a life in which they hurt their fellow men and destroy the beautiful home that you have created for them. So, I merely suggest the elimination of such humans, so that the other, the ones who are truly good, can live in peace, Lucifer would often retort.

Consequently, God could often feel other angels around him, silently agreeing with the young angel’s revolutionary thinking, even though they did not voice their defiant inner thoughts. However, God didn’t need the other angels to vocalise their defiance because he saw deep into every one of their souls, and in Lucifer’s, he saw pride beyond compare. Moreover, God knew that Lucifer would never be content with his role in Heaven, watching over and guiding humanity, as all angels did. Lucifer’s true intentions compelled him to wipe humanity from existence, and in being willing to do so, he believed that he was an even more capable ruler of the Universe than God himself. However, as with all his creation, God knew that he would have to let Lucifer continue down his path of self-destruction, and only stop him when his actions led him to commit treason against him. After all, he could not simply punish Lucifer for his future intentions and ambitions. Yet, God would have been lying to himself, if he had said that he hadn’t secretly hoped that Lucifer’s mind would miraculously change, so that disciplinary action would not be necessary, especially against one of his best and brightest. You see, Lucifer’s problem was he knew how brilliant he was, and never thought to humble himself because of it.

Nevertheless, a tear trickled down God’s cheek a few days later, as he saw Lucifer scheming with a group of his followers. They were planning to fly down to Earth and destroy all the humans who showed signs of devious minds and ill intentions. Lucifer couldn’t see it then, or perhaps, he merely chose not to, but the severity of his plan meant that all of humanity would have to be destroyed, as within all of them was the potential for both good and evil.

So, at that moment, God knew what he had to do, as it seemed Lucifer had left him no choice.

Lucifer! He shouted.

My child, can’t you see that this is wrong. It is not your place to decide who should live and who should die. Though humans have a short lifespan compared to ours, they are capable of great change within it. You cannot find only good qualities in any creatures, angels included. I did not create any being perfect because it is not possible, as even I have my flaws, and I thought humanity would help remind us all of that. I made man in my image, and by questioning the validity of their existence, you question me! God tirelessly explained.

You are naive father. We may not be perfect, but compared to humanity, our imperfections are futile. Certain humans must be removed from this Earth, for it to thrive; you would be able to see that if you were not blinded by your undying love for them. I am not questioning you; I am simply showing you the error in your ways, after all, did you not create me to do exactly that? Lucifer explained as he placed a defiant smirk on his proud face.

You leave me no choice. I declare you, Lucifer, to be the first of your kind to be banished from Heaven. You question the Creator and believe yourself to be above him in all things, and so I will create a new domain for you to rule over called Hell. Faithless humans will be sent to Hell in the Afterlife, and you will judge them and determine their punishment; it will be a realm of your own making which you may decorate it as you see fit. You will never again return to Heaven and your wings though they will remain on your back, will never again allow you to reach these heights. The angels who aided you in planning this nefarious act will act as your generals, and they will help you rule the depths below, God declared, with a heavy heart.

NO FATHER! I AM SORRY I QUESTIONED YOU! I CAN CHANGE! Lucifer screamed as he made the dramatic descent from the Heavens, swiftly followed by his co-conspirators.

The Earth subsequently formed a hole that enveloped the fallen angels in a cold hug of despair, so deep and so dark, that God almost changed his mind as his children fell through the abyss, but he knew he had made the right decision. The decisions that hurt him the most were often the right ones, but he couldn’t shake the piercing screams that had practically decimated his heart.

As a result, begrudgingly, Lucifer took over his role as the Leader of Hell, just as the Lord had instructed. He created a realm similar to Heaven in its bright white walls and opulence, telling his generals that it was because he wanted to lure humans into a false sense of security before they experienced eternal torment. Yet, deep down Lucifer knew that the reasoning behind Hell’s appearance came from the fact that he missed the Heavens dearly. As each day passed, envy rose like a burning inferno within him, aimed at the angels who still lived in paradise. Even the mere thought of God ignited a spark in the pit of his stomach, which could only be described as a pure kind of unbridled anger, that he had never thought himself capable of possessing.

Nevertheless, Lucifer was as brilliant as he was prideful, so though he believed that his punishment was incredibly unjust, he decided to bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. If he could never fly to the Heavens again, he would kill its creator and drag the Heavens down to the Earth below it. Lucifer would then celebrate his takeover of the Heavens, not a second before he rid the Earth of the useless humans, who had caused him to be thrown out of them in the first place.

Invigorated by the mere thought of his supreme dominance, once again, the prideful smirk that was as much a part of him as his blonde hair or blue eyes, found its rightful place on his unnervingly handsome face.

Chapter One – The War Against Sin

Soon after Lucifer’s demise, God found that he couldn’t deny the impending threat of the fallen angel’s ever-growing vengeance. Before the Fall, angels just watched over their chosen human as their guardian, and they could only assist their ward by creating different paths or opportunities that they could use to better their life. However, God chose not to provide his angels with the ability to force the humans placed in their care to do what they wished, which often led to the humans in question ignoring such fruitful paths, as the ones created by their righteous intentions. Consequently, seeds of doubt sprouted in the minds of angels in charge of the most reckless and destructive humans, softening them to the idea that, perhaps, the Luciferian ideology had not been so wrong after all.

Left with no choice but to get ahead of the problem, God decided that humans needed a more direct approach to bring out the best in them. Furthermore, since poor decision making often stemmed from one or more prevailing cardinal sin, he decided to tackle the issue of humanity’s malevolence at its source. He divided his angels up into seven houses, each of which played a role in combatting a cardinal sin that weaved its way in and out of the human condition. Each house was not a family that an angel was born into, as their destiny was revealed to them when they stood on the brink of adulthood, which meant that there were no predetermined notions as to what each young angel had to do or become. Each house was equal in honour and responsibility, with the only difference being, in how closely it naturally complemented its chosen angel’s attributes.

The House of Chastity was characterised by the electric blue eyes of the angels within it, as they helped tackle the lust in human beings. If Heaven ever required the need for religious leaders, then they would come from angels within such a house, who were never distracted from their ideals, when implementing God’s vision for creation. Whilst bright yellow eyes decorated the faces of the angels within the House of Satiation, who were the sunshine soldiers of Heaven, almost always content and naturally upbeat, in their mission to try and help aid the humans suffering from immense gluttony.

Orange eyes could help you identify the members of the House of Moderation, who fought the greed in humanity, which was a strenuous task since greed was capable of such immense destruction. Whilst the bright green eyes of the House of Vitality signified angels with the everlasting energy to combat the endless sloth of humanity.

The House of Patience was identified by its pink-eyed angels who could never seem to get angry and had to exert strenuous effort to show their frustration with someone, in their work to combat the wrath of humanity. Whilst brilliant purples swirled in the irises of the angels in the House of Kindness, as they opposed all the envy that human beings could so easily contain within their hearts. Consequently, there was nothing such angels wouldn’t do for another being, human or otherwise.

Last but not least, the gold eyes of the House of Humility provided even more evidence of God’s immense appreciation for irony. He always found it particularly comical that his most modest angels, should have eyes that represented the pinnacle of human wealth (and spiritual poverty). It was impossible to deny the fact that it was immense wealth and talent that led to the insurmountable pride that crippled humanity. Consequently, he believed it to be one of, if not the deadliest of all the sins, as the humans who wholly embodied it tended to be the exact opposite of what they believed themselves to be, taking pride in being ruthless in their quest for success. He truly pitied his gold ones at times, because the intensely prideful humans were some of the stubbornest of all.

However, being so contrary to the sin you specialised in, initially made it hard for the newly crowned members of each house to understand their roles. Eventually, they found that like with all things, God had a reason for it being so. As angels gained a better understanding of their wards, they often gained a better appreciation for the flaws within themselves. They soon understood that even though they were exempt from the plagues of one sin, that didn't mean that they weren't susceptible to those of another.

After all, it was not just humans that had their flaws.

So, up until the age of 17, all angels were placed in the custody of the Angel of Youth, Afriel. Afriel was a silver-eyed being with the patience of a saint, his compassion knew no bounds and his love knew no ends, and so each cherub felt more love from him than humanly possible. God designed their childhoods this way because he knew that the angels sacrificed all of their adult lives in the service of humanity, and so he felt that they deserved a childhood free of pain, envy and jealousy. So, Afriel never forced lessons onto his young charges but provided his wealth of knowledge to those who wanted to listen, bringing out the best in every young angel, as he gently nudged them towards the gifts that would aid them in the service of their future houses. However, that did not mean that Afriel was not firm, for no angel would leave his care with a temper or a spoilt attitude. However, the young angels loved him so much that to show Afriel disrespect, would have meant hurting their very being, and it was a wonder how any young angel ever managed to tear themselves from his side at all. Nevertheless, Afriel always instilled in them the importance of their greater purpose beyond their time spent with him.

On the eve of their seventeenth birthday, Afriel would take each angel on a walk. He would smile his graceful smile and delve into the deep and lengthy history of creation. He would stress how important that angel would be to humanity’s future and how fortunate he was to have known them.

If you remember one thing my child, remember this, love is the ultimate power; love cares for those who are not worthy and protects those whose kindness may be taken as weakness. Our father loves each and every one of us, just as deeply as I love you, and just as deeply as you must love all of creation. His velvety rich tone would conclude.

Over the years he had timed the walk so perfectly that just as he finished the age-old statement, they approached the steps of the portal to the Celestial College. After one final hug goodbye, he would encourage the angel to step through it to meet their destiny, and whether it was one of his first angels or one of the sixteen hundredths who had passed through it, it impacted him just as profoundly to see them go.

Deep down, he wished that all the young angels could stay with him forever.

He always took a deep breath in and returned down the path from which he had come, combing his fingers through his short silver hair as he returned with a sombre, pained expression painted on his face. He had learned early on in his life that to love something meant being able to