Angel Warriors

By Gregg Abello and Andres Ramirez

Angel Warriors is an action/adventure fiction novel about the extraordinary missions tasked by the Archangels to the chosen human beings, who are known as Innocents, in the fight against the Demons, who threaten to annihilate the human race and rule over the Angels in Heaven. Specifically chosen from the different parts of the world, the protagonists, who are eventually called the Angel Warriors, find themselves caught in many bizarre events during their earthly life, which leads to their higher calling in the afterlife, where they are prepared by the Archangels to carry out their important mission. Together with the leaders of the spiritual realm, the Angel Warriors ultimately perform their tasks but take a toll on themselves as they go through different odds against the villains in various encounters, which are full of twists and unexpected turns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482865431

Gregg Abello

Gregg Abello was born and raised in New Jersey, United States of America. His idea for this story, Angel Warriors, was born from rare paintings from an unknown artist found during a trip to Peru and inspired by these enigmatic paintings. He decided to create a story involving unique characters to battle against deadly demons.

Book preview

Copyright © v2016 by Gregg Abello.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4828-6542-4

                eBook          978-1-4828-6543-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

Mikahail

CHAPTER TWO

Mary Jane

CHAPTER THREE

The Chosen One

CHAPTER FOUR

The Monster Inside

CHAPTER FIVE

Aaron's Lair

CHAPTER SIX

The Ultimate Sacrifice

CHAPTER SEVEN

Miyamoto Rikishi

CHAPTER EIGHT

LOSS AND HATRED

CHAPTER NINE

A RENEWED SPIRIT

CHAPTER TEN

True Tests of Character

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A Mission to Fulfil

CHAPTER TWELVE

Ibn Mohammad Al-Khaldun

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A Promise of a New Commitment

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A Bold Venture to a New Land

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

An Agent of Peace

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Anna Isabella Garcia Abello

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The New Breed of Demons

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Off to a New Land

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Fate to Choose, Destiny to Unfold

CHAPTER TWENTY

Yegor Kossov

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Guardians from Heaven

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Fight for the Young Innocents

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Children's Guardian Angel

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The Completion

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The Headquarters in Heaven

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Training with the Elite

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Heavenly Initiation: The First Test

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Heavenly Initiation: The Second Test

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Gorrgomoth and His Realm

CHAPTER THIRTY

A Bitter Past and a Vengeful Aim

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Threefold Mission

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Winning Back Innocents

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Monstrous Demon Encounters

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The Great Battle

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Gorrgomoth's Last Stand

This page is

dedicated to the following people

who contributed and gave positive

support to help me finish this book.

Angelito M. Villar

Andrés Ramírez

Bryan Cowing

Miguel Angel Celis

And special thanks to the following people,

Amanda Abello

May Rhea Lopez

Henry Abello

Monica Vargas

Author Gregg Abello

[e-mail]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angel-Warriors/607788296007087

Content Editor

Angelito M. Villar

[e-mail]

Artist

Anér

Andrés F. Ram írez Cervantes

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

https://www.behance.net/AndrewRmrez

Mikahail.jpg

CHAPTER ONE

Mikahail

M ikahail was an ancient warrior from Heaven. He fought countless battles against legions of Demons in all their myriad forms. Endowed with immense power and finest combat skills, he handily fought and conquered the strongest evil adversaries Satan sent at him. Not even Satan's select horde of Demon warriors could come close to defeating him. His reputation preceded him. His fame through his trademark victory over the powerful host of Demons led by Satan resounded in all corners of the earth. Angels and humans alike lauded him for that monumental triumph -- a strong testament of good defeating evil. This plangent truth has lived on since time immemorial. Or at least it should be.

Nevertheless, times have been different. The number of Demons and all evil entities that roamed around earth and the surrounding heavenly realm has been growing in an unprecedented rise. In the recent past, Mikahail was unable to successfully overcome the increasing number of the Demon army, who seemed to be even becoming stronger and bolder with each passing of time. He witnessed how Demons had wielded more power as they could easily seduce, corrupt, and control innocent human beings, whom they used as their very instruments to spread evil in the entire world.

Searching for Demons has become a tougher task, too. During the old times, it proved to be simple as there were only few settlements where they could blend in with people. On the contrary, the population of the modern times has increased exponentially, with billions of people potentially lying victims for the growing number of the dark force. Even Mikahail himself has become more vulnerable to Demon attacks. The Demons could easily sense his presence in any part of the world; thus, he has become an easy target to many surprised assaults from the evil entities, which were subtly hiding and wandering among the peoples of the earth. To avoid detection, Mikahail had changed his appearance and blended with the humans, as he continued to search for the Demons scattered all around. He had taken several forms, both human and non- human forms, in an effort to efficiently find one Demon after another living amongst men.

More than becoming their victims, the Demons targeted innocents for their destructive plot in all of humanity. Possessing human spirits through a distinct evil energy called negagy, Demons spread their hideous working in all levels of human activities and interactions. This negagy increased negative emotions and thoughts from people. It fueled human tendencies towards sinfulness. Through negagy, the Demons gained more strength and power as they captured more and more human souls in their fold. Once the earth would be enveloped by this invisible yet powerful evil energy, it would create the perfect environment for Demons to conquer earth and all of humanity.

Feeding on fear and hatred from people, the Demons were able to increase their number in multitudes, strengthening their arsenal even more. Over time, their number far exceeded their previous count way back during the time of the first war waged in Heaven where the Demon army was crushed by the forces of the heavenly protectors of angels and archangels led by the great Mikahail. The great Archangel fought the great forces of evil and vanquished their Demon Lords including Grigori, the ruthless Demon Leader whom the other Demons feared themselves. Consequently, the defeated Demon army retreated and regrouped in hell where Satan himself was gearing up his Demon Warriors to reclaim the lost glory.

Mikahail could now only watch the evil workings of the devil as his growing concern to save earth and Heaven sometimes would get out of his hand. He knew he needed more than just support, more than just back up. He needed more than just advocates of the good who would stay in the light and do away with evil. He knew he needed companions, or more like comrades, who would carry out the mission on the even bigger battlefield where the good constantly strived against the forces of evil. He needed a new kind of angels, the ones who would keep the balance on earth and protect the Heavenly realm. Mikahail was looking for a new breed of angels, or a special company of Angel Warriors who would fight the battles against the Demons, who, in turn, seemed to be ever ready to destroy any forces of the Light. And Mikahail knew, as well, that he must find these angelic recruits from men and women of extraordinary character who would stand up for the good till the very end.

* * *

The sun was setting and its light slowly fading as dusk was gradually giving way to the dark evening. Mikhail was walking down a dangerous street in a small town in Jamaica Queens, New York. Departing from his usual look of an armored Angel Warrior, he blended among men, this time in his black round-neck shirt and slightly ripped dark blue jeans, all under his long black leather jacket that stiffly extended from his broad shoulders to a few inches below his knees. Moving towards a window in one store, he saw a reflection of himself, an African American, and tried to fix his a bit unruly hair. He then checked for any cuts, marks, or bruises from his face resulting from his last brawl with a band of Demons. After a short scrutiny, he went on to proceed to a corner, from which he stood still, occasionally turning his head in different directions, carefully observing every bit of movement that may look suspicious.

Mikahail was in search of a powerful Demon, which was notorious for the spread of evil in the entire neighborhood. This Demon had fed on people's fear and hatred, which made him even more powerful than ever. He manipulated people's emotions, turning them away from every bit of goodness. He had harvested a huge amount of negagy around the place through people's weaknesses and turned them into sinfulness. But more than just leading these people to his fold, this Demon often harmed his victims by attacking them in the darkest nights. Hence, people in this area remained in their homes and tucked in fear and terror of the unspeakable evil that roamed outside their homes. Too weak to protect themselves, they hid in helplessness in the face of evil.

The evening skies had finally taken over. Mikahail went on to walk on another lonesome and dangerous street in the once vibrant and peaceful neighborhood. Across the street, he spotted a local convenience store already closed in this early evening. He noticed everything was quiet and how it seemed isolated from any other lively towns in the great city of New York. He thought the situation in this town had gone extremely life-threatening as this last Demon might have launched one vicious attack after another, perhaps realizing that he was the only one left of his kind. Mikahail though was strong in his intent to pursue this last Demon and put an end to the evil he had so widely spread.

He heard a car approaching the street he was standing on. The engine continued to rev as it passed by him. Soon enough, the sound faded into the distance. He walked to the next block across the street and stopped in front of a dark narrow alley. He looked up towards the unusually quiet evening sky. A single drop of water fell onto his forehead. It momentarily cooled his face, and he felt a little refreshed. Soon enough, many more drops started to pour down on everything of the seemingly lifeless block. Mikahail then sensed an evil presence nearby. Sensing that it might be the last Demon he was pursuing, he readied himself for a furious fight. He walked deeper into the dark alley, took off his gloves, and put them into his jacket. He stopped in the middle of the alley, removed his jacket, and laid it on a wooden crate on one side. His glowing white wings grew out from his back shoulders, ripping the back of his shirt. The narrow alley prevented his wings from expanding to their full width. The bright light from his wings illuminated almost the entire alley. Mikahail curled his fingers towards his palms forming two solid fists. He firmly stood still with his arms, the right one made of the strongest metal, sturdily drawn towards the ground.

Suddenly, an aluminum can fell onto the wet concrete road. Turning his attention to where the sound came from, he took little steps forward, cautious of anything that might appear before him. When he grabbed a clump of trash wrapped inside a plastic bag from where the aluminum can seemed to fall off, a frightened cat slipped out of the clutter. With a sign of relief, but maintaining his cautiousness, Mikahail moved slowly away and thought to himself, Where is this Demon? I can sense him very close from here. Then, turning his gaze in front, a strange-looking figure appeared. Perplexity quickly poured down on Mikahail. He was suddenly concerned that there could be more of them. I was expecting a different kind of Demon. This one is strange. This Demon is some kind of a special creation of a Demon Lord, Mikahail thought, confused.

Mikahail stared at the Demon. It was unlike any other he had faced before. It generally took the form of a human, with muscular and wide shoulders. Its hands were in the shape of tigers' paws. Its head and face were very deformed and its body took a strange form: a mix of a human body and a certain beast. An extremely hot steam, much like a deadly sulfur gas coming off a volcano's mouth, came out of its body. Its skin seemed to be melting off from its body and burned anything that it touched, much like a molten magma burning hot inside the earth.

The Demon lifted his arm and used obscene body movements to insult Mikahail and lured him to come closer. Watching from a short distance, Mikahail remained calm gazing at the Demon, which body seemed to be like burning ember and coal.

With Mikahail not responding to the Demon's invitation to engage, the Demon became impatient and mad. Then, it struck the concrete walls bordering the alley. It smashed holes in the walls, leaving bits of debris on the floor. With rage, the Demon burned the debris and ferociously threw them towards Mikahail. They were like fireballs hurled down from an erupting volcano. The fireballs would either miss their target or be deflected by Mikahail's strong right arm. The Demon continued to engage Mikahail to fight, but the latter remained still and cautious of the possible trap that the Demon may be trying to play. Becoming even more furious, the Demon screamed in great rage. It summoned more negagy towards him and it quickly became more powerful. The Demon grew bigger; its body was being filled by the dark energy. Its muscles tightened and bulged. Its color became even brighter with extreme heat emanating from its body. For some time, it looked like it was going to explode as it absorbed too much negagy. Then, it stared at Mikahail and yelled at him in the ancient language only angels knew how to speak.

Mikahail's eyes grew bigger at the words of the Demon. This can't be! How could he possibly speak such words from our language, Mikahail spoke to himself in great astonishment. More thoughts ran through his head, which he stopped thinking after the Demon made a sudden movement. The Demon screamed in anger as it rushed towards Mikahail for its fierce attack. Mikahail was caught unguarded by the headlong assault, which came in a blitz. The Demon tackled him hard and low to his stomach. Mikahail received the hard blow, making his body bend from the strong impact. Mikahail coughed out some air and blood. The Demon then grappled him down onto the concrete road, creating a shockwave and crater-like depression on the ground with the impact. With great power, the Demon, which sat over Mikahail, wildly and rapidly hit his body and face. Mikahail tried to shield himself with all his strength from the vicious blows from the Demon. He then managed to free his right arm and squeezed the Demon's neck. The Demon got out of his mighty grip. Mikahail launched a powerful blow to the Demon's deformed face. The Demon was hurled down from the blow and Mikahail managed to get up. He quickly walked towards the Demon, which had stood up from the fall. Amassing great power and strength, Mikahail grabbed the Demon with his strong hand, lifted his right leg, and swung it hard to the Demon's body, sending it several yards up in the air. The Demon landed further away from him onto the alley. It made grunting sounds from the massive impact. Mikahail's wings spread into their full span. He then quickly jumped so high towards the Demon and with great force landed on top of the evil monster. Mikahail's metal-tip boots pierced through the Demon's body causing it to sink deeper into the ground. With the strong impact, the Demon's skin peeled off its body and scattered around the alley. He lifted and held the Demon in mid- air and again threw a powerful blow from his pure metal arm. The Demon now seemed to lose so much energy. With his powerful grip, Mikahail then squeezed it around his neck, its face towards him. The Demon tried to get out of Mikahail's tenacious grip, desperately hitting his body. However, it became too weak to make any serious effort of escaping from its impending destruction.

Mikahail glanced at the evil creature, growing even weaker. At one point, he caught a glimpse of a human being and a cat within the Demon. Realizing that they were possessed by the evil behemoth, Mikahail thrust the Demon onto the nearest wall. His powerful right hand was too much for the Demon to handle. The seemingly molten material that formed the skin of the Demon and which also enveloped the two living creatures possessed inside its body started to dry and crack. In one final blow, Mikahail threw the Demon to the other wall where it first appeared. The hit caused some more debris from the wall to crush on top of the Demon's body, which, seemingly lifeless, lay down on the ground along with the metal trash bins and clutter of garbage scattered around. Then above the Demon's body, unusual gray clouds formed in the sky. The clouds thickened and circled as if forming a vortex. Moments later, flashes of light sparked from behind the clouds. From the flashes, a great lightning struck down the Demon, which immediately turned into ashes, then vaporized. The unique bright bluish light from the lightning illuminated the entire alley. The human being and the animal that were once possessed by the Demon were then cleansed from negagy.

The gray clouds soon disappeared. The alley was again quiet, and, this time, appeared to be like a war-torn place. Mikahail, realizing how great the damage was done to the place, spread his arms in opposite directions, stretching along the length of the alley. Then a bright light radiated from his body and scattered through the entire alley. Then the ground crumbled. A powerful force raised the debris on the ground to fill missing patches on the walls. The depression on the ground turned even. The scattered bins and trash were gathered into their previous spots. Then, the crumbling stopped. The bright light retreated towards Mikahail's body. His wings pulled back into his back shoulders and disappeared. Everything was restored to their previous state. Then, he put down his arms and walked towards the two living creatures. The Demon left the human unconscious and almost naked. He still wondered how a low level Demon could possess two living creatures at the same time. He knelt down and rested his palm onto the human's forehead. The human was a teenager about nineteen years old. His vitals were weak. Mikahail found the cat, half-dead, beside the teenager. He placed the cat in an empty box that sat idle nearby. Then, he carried the teenager as he walked to find his leather jacket. He wrapped the jacket around the boy's body and brought him to the nearest clinic, about 500 yards away from the alley.

As the doctor and the nurses were attending to the boy, Mikahail stepped out of the hospital, put back on his jacket and his gloves. He stood just outside the hospital, beside the emergency entrance and tried to recollect his last encounter with the Demon. Mikahail still could not imagine how the Demon spoke the language only the Heavenly host of angels could speak. He also realized how the Demons had grown more powerful than ever. Then, he turned to the apartment buildings surrounding the hospital. He could see people inside their homes. He wondered how these weak beings tried to survive their daily struggles in the society that was filled with both worldly and spiritual harms. He thought that these people and the millions more in the world had been blinded by evil through their weaknesses. People had become easy preys of the devil. They were easily swayed by temptations in the form of human vices and immoral acts. They had become inclined to live in their wicked ways as if they were the norm in the society and the world in general. Yet, these people were also the hope for the survival of the whole humanity. From within them would come the key to the triumph of goodness, the realization of which must come from them in order to genuinely overthrow the paralyzing influence of the devil. It was in hope that people would realize their vital role in the achievement of this victory over the forces of evil that Mikahail remained faithful to the mission he had been tasked to carry out.

Immersed on these thoughts, Mikahail heard a voice calling him from the hospital. He went inside and met the doctor who had just attended to the boy. Mikahail received the word from the doctor that the young man was completely out of danger and would be fine in no time. Feeling relieved, he then left the hospital.

* * *

Mikahail had reached the subway station that would take him to another district in the bustling city of New York. He walked down the stairs and stopped in front of a barrier. He inserted a token into the slot in the machine that sat on top of the column from which a metal rod extended, blocking a person's passage. He pushed himself forward through the barrier and followed the rest of the people along specified colored lines that led them to their respective stations. From one of the posts that supported the roof of the subway, Mikahail leaned backwards, crossed his arms covered in long black sleeves, and remembered the last war in Heaven against the Demons.

The legion of Demons began their charge in the first of the seven levels of Heaven. All the Angels and the Archangels came down trying to repel the attack and protect the Heavenly Realm and all the souls inside it. The Demons particularly aimed for these souls as the capture of these souls would immensely increase their number and find themselves a chance to conquer Heaven. Attacking in throngs, the Demon warriors rushed towards the column of Angels that stood guard of the first level and swung their swords and plunged their spears to the Heavenly guardians. The Angels, though, stood their ground to the vicious attack. In return, the Archangels, led by Mikahail, launched their counter attack to the charging Demons. Tens of Demons fell down with every swing of the Archangels' powerful swords. The Angels' bows and arrows, meanwhile, pierced through thousands of the Demon army. However, the Angels were not as powerful as the Archangels. The Demons were able to overrun the first line of defense put up by the Angels, some of whom were captured and brought down to hell.

Seeing the line of Angels faltering, Mikahail soared high in the Heavenly sky. Then, with tremendous speed and power, he charged to the attacking Demons, striking them down with great force from his sword's powerful swing. He circled through the Heavenly domain and sliced through more Demons with his wings, so powerful that they cut like the sharpest and strongest blade. Summoning the other Archangels, he led another round of assault to the surging Demons, which were gaining some ground through the first level of the Holy Kingdom. The Archangels spread themselves to stop the Demon warriors from advancing further. The lesser Angels fought bravely with their bows and arrows, spears, and swords behind the commanding Archangels.

Mikahail and the rest of the Angel Warriors were able to stop the Demons from gaining further ground to the Kingdom of Heaven. With every clashing of swords and lunging of spears and arrows, hundreds of Demon warriors fell back down like pouring rain. Yet, Mikahail, immersed in battle, failed to notice a stronger group of Demon warriors penetrating into the inner levels of Heaven. In speed near that of the speed of light, he rushed towards the attacking Demons and mightily put up a ferocious fight. Swing after swing, and thrust after thrust, the sound of smashing swords caused a great rippling impulse that could drive away anyone near the fighting. Mikahail was pushed deeper into the central realm by the overwhelming number of the stronger Demons. In an effort to make one great killer blow to the enemies, Mikahail powerfully swung his sword that it also struck the gate of Heaven. Indestructible by anything thrown against the colossal gate, the swing of Mikahail's sword reverberated back to it, cracking it from its edges down to the middle near its handle. The great impact recoiled towards the Demons. In an instant, all the enemies were driven away by the tremendous force, rendering them powerless upon absorbing the impact. They all fell back down from Heaven and straight back to hell. The remaining Demon warriors retreated in fear after witnessing the monumental setback of their stronger fold. All the Angels and the Heavenly creatures including the souls of the elect rejoice for the resounding victory.

The subway train passed by Mikahail and all the people who stood waiting. The strong wind and the resonating noise of the clanking tracks broke his memory of the time. The wind blew away the smell of metal and concrete of the subway station. He fixed his jacket and got ready to get into one of the train cars. The people around him nudged and bumped him as they tried to get a good spot inside. Mikahailstepped inside the car, grabbed his seat, leaned backwards, and crossed his arms. Then, his thoughts dragged him again into thinking of the last Demon he had faced.

Time passed by. For hours people sat in subway cars travelling from one destination to another. Mikahail saw them barging in and out of their cars. He smelt a certain scent emanating from within a person. Each person uniquely emitted a certain odor, a distinct one that somehow identifies the person.

As Mikahail finally came out of the train, an old woman caught Mikahail's attention. Using her walking cane for support, she slowly walked inside the subway station. She could barely stand on her own and support herself. The gentle push from the speeding subway train seemed for her a tremendous blow of turbulent winds that was hard to withstand. Mikhail lifted his left arm and helped the delicate old woman. She held Mikahail's hands and smiled at him as she sat down comfortably on one of the metal chairs on a long stretch of passengers' waiting area just a couple of meters away from the subway railing.

Thank you, young man. Hmmm...oh my, what a strong hand you've got! You must be a body builder.

Mikahail chuckled subtly as he listened more. You remind me of some people on TV - those young men lifting weights and teaching people to lose weight. I am too old to do those things, but I do...

Mikahail listened with a smile as he noticed how humble this woman was. After a short while, Mikahail helped the lady get up and led her into one of the cars of the 100- meter or more subway train. He went on watching over her as she blended with the crowd inside.

Hours passed by and Mikahail was alone in the subway station. The sound of the subway hitting the railing dominated his ears. He looked around and noticed the breeze became silent and still all of a sudden, as if someone turned it off. Everything came to a full stop. Mikahail quickly realized the situation and stayed on his seat. He then tapped on the floor with his boots, a pair of hard synthetic rubber with steel toes. Out of nowhere, an image of another being slowly emerged.

Mikahail smiled with a confident look. Then he gazed at the figure and said, I see you are in style with the times as usual, Al-Uzza.

The other being, a bit upset by Mikahail's greetings, reacted and said, I am not Al-Uzza anymore, Mikahail. I am now Gorrgomoth! Then he laughed and showed off his wardrobe, the most expensive suit a man could buy. Mikahail, not impressed, crossed his arms and briefly turned his head sideways.

As if teasing, Mikahail said, It's quite an impression! Gorrgomoth, trying to mock Mikahail, leaned forward on the supporting pole near him, bowed his head and raised his right arm to thank Mikahail.

Mikahail, this is only a taste of what is to come. Your attempt to save the world and the innocents is futile.

Mikahail tightened his fists but stayed calm towards Gorrgomoth. Gorrgomoth, I think you are still weak. You never stop telling stupid things.

Gorrgomoth laughed out loud and sarcastically responded to Mikahail's words with applause.

Mikahail, Mikahail. You are so blind. Can't you see my legion growing in numbers? I know you can sense that, Mikahail stared in frustration. I think you should just surrender Mikahail. There's no point of you fighting me and my whole army. It's just impossible!

Mikahail stood up and a feather fell down from inside his coat. He walked towards Gorrgomoth, standing in front of him face to face.

Gorrgomoth, your evil and hypnotic words do not work with me, says Mikahail.

Gorrgomoth smirked and looked straight at Mikahail's eyes. My army now is stronger than from the time of our last battle in Heaven, and at this moment I am surrounding the world ready to take over the innocents that are left unconscious of the unfortunate fate that will soon befall on them.

In a stern look, Mikahail's eyebrows moved towards each other forming wrinkles on his forehead. Gorrgomoth showed little nervousness on his face, Mikahail walked backwards and adjusted his gloves.

Everything around the two slowly moved again as the hands of time continued to tick once more. People again started to crowd into the subway. Gorrgomoth turned away and walked out of the subway station. As he walked further away, he looked back and grinned at Mikahail. Mikahail in return spoke to Gorrgomoth telepathically through the language of the Angels that said, Gorrgomoth, I will come for you and when we meet again things will be different! Gorrgomoth simply ignored Mikahail's warning. He laughed mockingly at the Archangel and vanished into thin air.

Just a few blocks away from the subway station, Mikahail wandered around an old abandoned park. Directly in front of his sight, a figure walked towards him. It stood as tall as Mikahail, broad shouldered, and with strong masculine built. From him a greeting of comfort aired through his lips. Peace, Brother! They were the words of Archangel Gabriel. Mikahail placed both of his arms to the other Archangel, who did the same to Mikahail. They bowed to each other and gently touched their foreheads -- a greeting by the Archangels. Then they released each other's arms and conversed about Mikahail's last duel with the Demon.

I witnessed your recent fight with the Demon, said Gabriel, It was a fierce one! Mikahail nodded in agreement and said, Yes, and a strange one. I thought the fight was some kind of a test of my power.

Gabriel bowed in assent and calmly replied, Yes! It was the Demon commander who experimented on you, trying to find out your weakness, and at the same time finding out the extent of your power.

Again? Testing my abilities? Will they never learn? Mikahail responded with disdain.

Gabriel placed his left hand at Mikahail's right shoulder and pressed on it saying, I have a new mission for you from our Brothers. Showing interest over Gabriel's announcement, Mikahail's eyes grew big in eagerness.

Mikahail, Gorrgomoth is right. The Demon army is increasing in number and is becoming active more than ever. There are now an increase number of Demonic possessions and worsening chaos in many parts of the world. To defeat the growing army of Demons, we need the innocents to get involve, Gabriel continued, lowering his hands from Mikahail's shoulders. It's an old idea that we are taking, but the plan is as potent as we have designed it to be. We know you have gathered some people's names who will potentially fight the cause.

Mikahail's eyes gazed towards heaven and looked straight at Gabriel's eyes. Brother, Gabriel, whose words are filled with determination, went on to say, It's now time to use the list and get five of them to be warriors just like us. They will work with us, fight alongside us, and share the responsibility of protecting both Heaven and Earth. Together, we will vanquish the forces of Satan so that lasting peace shall reign.

For a moment, Mikahail was quiet, looking down on the ground, deeply thinking about the task. This is the most difficult mission I have been given, he mumbled finally. With encouraging words Gabriel responded, Don't worry, Brother. The load will soon become easy. You will know the chosen few if you see them. There is a strong positive spiritual energy in their very core.

Mikahail exhaled deeply in relief. His face brightened up in confidence. Then, Gabriel said something of importance. The five that you will pick, must have a strong foundation of virtues at the heart of their character. They must have a genuine love for their fellowmen, Gabriel explained. They can't linger on sinfulness and other negative emotions. You know what happens when they harbor anything dark inside them. Mikahail nodded, recognizing the familiarity of the situation Gabriel was talking about. No, they can't have any room for weaknesses or sinfulness or any sort of negativity in them, Mikahail quickly replied on Gabriel's words. They would be a special team of defenders of both their world and ours. They would comprise a core that would fight against evil until the very end. They would be an elite force of Angel Warriors who will take on the greatest fight now and for eternity. They must indeed be the chosen ones. Gabriel came closer to Mikahail and advised him, Therefore, find them now, and prepare them. Help them wield the strength to defeat the Demons.

Placing his right fist onto his chest, Mikahail bowed down his head to bid Gabriel goodbye. Gabriel did the same gesture, slowly elevated into the air, and disappeared.

Mikahail then walked along the city street feeling the sunrise. He took out what looked like a stained brown piece of parchment, on it appeared a couple of names. These were the names of the select few who were qualified to be part of the angelic protectors. Mikahail looked at the first name right on top of the list. The name gleamed like burning ember. He closed the parchment, put it inside his jacket pocket, and looked straight ahead.

Several hours passed by and Mikahail found a large park fronting several tall buildings. On one of the buildings hung a huge screen flashing a TV news reporter interviewing a cowboy who won a bull riding competition in Texas. However, Mikahail's attention was caught by a young girl in the background. He immediately felt a certain connection between him and the girl. He sensed a strong positive spiritual energy springing out of her.

Mikahail knew what it meant. He knew that his mission had commenced, and that he must embark into the long journey for the ultimate quest of good versus evil. The time had come. Mikahail left the city of New York and headed for Texas, where the first of the many daunting searches of the chosen ones would begin.

Mary_Jane.jpg

CHAPTER TWO

Mary Jane

M ary Jane was born and raised on a farm in the heart of Texas. At school, she was known to be a tomboy. Even the big guys had a tough time messing with her. Because of her tough character, she gained the respect of all the boys and rarely confronted her. Her father, John, was a rich farm owner. He had several businesses and a family fortune handed down from one family member to another. John had a team of workers taking care of his farm. Even though he made his employees work hard, he helped them in time of their need, either personal or financial. Nevertheless, he remained strict in the farm, demanding his workers to follow protocols and finish deadlines.

Mary Jane was a tough girl at school, but a kind-hearted person on her father's farm. In several occasions, she would help the workers in the farm. The workers all liked her. They called her La Guerra Princesa for she would come home with some kind of bruises or black eye. On her free time, she would help the workers in any way she could. If not the workers themselves, she would help their family members, like baby-sit for their little kids or help a sick family member. Having learned to speak Spanish fluently, it had been easy for her to communicate with the workers and their families.

Her life in the farm was precious to her. Although school could be rough, she didn't get into trouble because she picked fights or initiated them. She would only stand up to bullies, who would usually get more annoyed every time they would confront her.

One day, at the school's cafeteria, Mary Jane was having some time with friends talking about the long weekend coming.

Nakoma, are you doing anything special for the weekend, one girl asked Nakoma, one of Mary Jane's classmates. Too shy to reveal her plans on the coming Saturday night, Nakoma blushed and looked away. Mary Jane bumped elbows with her two other friends, moving their eyebrows up and down.

The girl went on to say, I think someone has a date? Right girls? All the girls giggled looking at Nakoma. Finally, Nakoma waved her hands through her hair as she smiled even more brightly. Alright! Alright, Nakoma happily responded, Yes, I have a date! He asked me out yesterday. He was so sweet! All the girls wooed and teased her.

So is he cute? Is he muscular or sort of a heart-throb, asked Mary Jane, who was greatly pleased for her friend.

I bet he is a good kisser, said another friend.

Nakoma continued to blush, but realizing that they would not let up on teasing her, she responded shyly. Stop it, please, tucking both of her hands inside her jeans pockets, He is just a friend. We are just going to eat at the pizza place, then maybe go to Bowl World. Everyone got closer to Nakoma, poking her at times. Yeah, yeah, and that is where you're going to kiss him right, one of the girls softly blurted out. They all giggled and enjoyed the fun.

From a nearby table, noise of crashing chairs and stuff banging on the table broke the air of laughter. Get out of my table, loser! The bully said, accompanied by his unruly team. He then laughed after shoving away a new student to the floor.

Mary Jane quickly turned her attention to the commotion and watched the new student, looking so scared, got up from the fall. In fear and embarrassment, the new student, a freshman transferee from a nearby school, quietly picked up his things scattered on the ground; tears rolled down from his eyes, feeling the pain from his left arm, which landed the wrong way against the grassy surface.

The bully pushed the tray towards the new student and his food fell on him. The bully's gang sat on the table and opened the student's school bag. They found more books, a phone, and other personal belongings.

Oh, look here. This is mine, said one of the boys who held the phone, This belongs to me now! The new student stood up at once and yelled to him. Hey! That's mine, he screamed at the boy who got his phone. He then drove towards him to grab his phone back and all his stuff. The bully, however, stopped the raging new student. He pushed him back, rushed towards him, grabbed his collar, and tried to lift him through it. He raised his right arm, formed a solid fist, and positioned it to give the new student a sure painful blow. But before he could free his fist for the demolition job, an orange fruit knocked down on his head. For a moment, everyone was quiet in amazement.

The bully, stunned but not at all surprised, let go of the new student, and turned around. Recognizing a dominant figure from among the crowd, the bully fixed his gaze to one and yelled, Damn it, MJ! I am going to give you a world of pain for doing that.

Mary Jane crossed her arms, pretended not knowing anything, and gave the bully an innocent look as she said, What? What are you talking about?

Feeling so enraged by her pretentious innocence, the bully's Caucasian white skin turned red. You are so stupid! the bully uttered in anger.

Mary Jane, still calm, looked straight at the bully and said, Who? The bully, growing impatient, took a few steps closer to her, pointed his finger at himself saying, Me, me, me! Mary Jane, acting confused, turned her head slightly and replied, Oh, you're the orange guy? Now, that makes sense. At once, everyone in the cafeteria laughed at the bully, who seemed to lose control of the situation.

The bully furiously stormed towards Mary Jane. His right arm hovered through the air, about to slap her. Mary Jane fearlessly stared at the bully straight through his eyes. Realizing that there was no stopping him from hurting her, she immediately grabbed one of the metal trays on her table and swung it hard onto the bully's face. The metal tray vibrated a banging sound and caused the bully to step backwards.

Trying to ignore the pain, he instinctively got up and made another threat, You're going to die, you little... Before he could finish his words, a loud commanding voice echoed in the cafeteria. Stop right there! the voice said. The bully looked around and saw the gym teacher, so angry and disgusted.

That's it for you. You're done here mister. This will be the last time you'll be messing around here, the teacher declared forcefully. He then ordered the bully to proceed to the principal's office. The rest of his gang anxiously groped their way out of the cafeteria.

The students inside then cheered for Mary Jane. Everyone was celebrating and shouting her name, Mary Jane! Mary Jane! Mary Jane! The confrontation was over. It used to end with Mary Jane earning herself some bruises or a black eye. This time she was fortunate to have none. She did not have any idea, though, that she would have another fight close at home.

* * *

The bus stopped beside the road in front of Mary Jane's block. She got off the bus and saw her father waiting for her as usual. She ran towards her father and gave her a great hug. Afterwards, John examined his daughter's face, like a doctor examining a patient.

What, daddy, are you looking for? said Mary Jane.

Her father pretended to act confused but smiled. What? No bruises? Black eyes? he went on to ask. A smile then cracked out from her father's serious face. Mary Jane turned her head and tried to cover her smile and giggle. Well, I'm happy there's none, John uttered in gladness. He had tried to tell his daughter to stop meddling in other students' troubles for so many times during her previous years at school, but it seemed that his daughter was born to be a fighter for the good of people. She told him that if it would be for the good, she would be ready to fight even if it hurt her.

How's your day, sweetie? buoyantly asked John. Mary Jane told everything what happened back at school as the two of them walked leisurely towards the house. Wrapping her father's right arm around her, Mary Jane proudly narrated to her father how she managed to stop a bully once again without making her fists do the work. John intently listened to his daughter who seemed so excited of the day's event. He himself was amazed of how truly Mary Jane was able to stand up against bullying and at the same time protect herself from being hurt.

The two soon reached the house. Immediately John headed to the garage to which Mary Jane followed through. The garage was filled with American classic cars and some old fancy American motorbikes. Just outside the garage, beside it, was John's repair shop, which he called The American Miracle Shop because this was the place where old and nearly impossible to restore American cars and motorbikes were brought back to their former glory. His current project was an old Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was a rare one.

Mary Jane loved to help her father restore motorcycles and cars ever since she could carry a tool. Over the years, she had learned the parts of a motorcycle from inside out. For this, she had become a motorcycle nut just like her dad. The motorcycle she was restoring with her father had been especially modified to their liking. They were making this Harley with special materials to make it light yet strong. Wider tires were installed to make grip on the road stronger than most motorbikes did. They were just discussing things about the next installation of parts when suddenly engines revving and men yelling were heard from a distance.

Big trucks and several muscle cars full of people who seemed to be different from normal ones stopped on an area a few meters from the repair shop. The strange people were called haters. They were people who were under a mystical influence, a Demonic one. They seemed to have a strange dark aura, that of negagy, enveloping them. These haters were backed up by some other people on motorcycles, which followed in a short while. These people were members of gangs around the town. All of the haters had tattoos that made no sense for the average Innocent. The haters' bodies were filled with strange symbols, which seemed to have some kind of Demonic meanings. Also, the dark aura that circled around the haters appeared to be controlling them. In a little while, the entire throng started to become violent and wanted to initiate any attack.

Sensing great danger, John immediately pointed to the house and ordered Mary Jane to go. Quick, MJ! Go to the farm and get Naco, said John.

Mary Jane, with no questions, rushed to the farm, which was just a few meters away from the back of their house. At this time, John got his gun from the garage, strapped the gun belt on around his waist, and came out of the garage in his cowboy hat. John stood boldly in front of the haters and the rest of the gang who also unloaded their weapons.

Naco, a close personal friend of Mary Jane's father, was tending to some chores at the farm with the laborers. Since the last war, he and John had been working together in running the farm. Austenaco, his real name, was one of the last descendants of the Cherokee Indians. He taught Mary Jane traditional Indian customs including Indian fighting techniques.

Mary Jane arrived at the farm and shouted for Naco's name in search of him. She immediately noticed him, rushed towards him, and quickly told him about what happened and that her dad badly needed him. Austenaco grabbed her hand and took her somewhere safe in the house. He then found the old bell and rang it to signal imminent danger to the rest of John's workers. Everyone on the farm ran in haste towards the barn and grabbed some rifles. The women hid in the house, while some others went to the neighborhood to call for help.

The farm people took their positions around the house and in front of the repair shop. They were ready to stand and fight alongside John, their faithful leader. John pushed his hat up, placed his one hand on his waist just above the gun belt, and the other hand rested on the gun in its holster.

What do you want, Aaron? You know you can't come here, John echoed his voice to the man standing slightly ahead of the pack. Aaron, with a toothpick moving from side to side in between the teeth in his mouth, pointed his finger at John. He then spat out the toothpick and said, I warned you, John. I told you to get rid of all those colored people.

John unbuttoned the strap that kept the handgun in place, and fixed his hat again. Seems like the law means nothing to you, Aaron, he explained as he took little steps forward and stopped, Everyone is fine here. Now get the others out of here and it would just be me and you.

John looked around to see the men behind Aaron. How strange these people are! They all have those weird tattoos all around their bodies, John thought to himself after examining Aaron's men.

Aaron, on the other hand, grew impatient with him and said, John, either you get rid of 'em now, or I'll force ya.

To this John stood still, quietly observing Aaron's men's movements. He then slowly and carefully placed his hand on the gun, this time making a firm grip on its handle. For a moment, silence filled the air. John then noticed one of Aaron's men at the back extending his weapon and fired a shot. John quickly reacted as he pulled out his gun, raised it, and made a shot to the gunman, who quickly fell down, dead. He then pointed the gun towards Aaron, who seemed to freeze and was unable to pull out his own weapon. Don't, or it'll be your last! John boldly warned Aaron.

The men behind John were tensed after seeing the action. They readied with weapons, though, and aimed them to the enemies in front. As Aaron tried to raise his hands to motion his surrender, he suddenly screamed to his men, Fire! At once, the enemies opened fire, and John and the rest of his men scrambled for hiding positions. They in turn fired back to counter the enemies' attack.

Mary Jane crawled out from her hiding place and moved behind the window to see what was happening. She heard the open fire and the deafening sounds from gunshots. From the window, she managed to see her father and how he was bravely fighting the opposing men. Filled with fear and awe, she went on to watch the action and saw how her father moved so fast and killed someone.

Oh my! Daddy just killed a man, Mary Jane suddenly blurted out. She then turned her eyes to the workers who were fighting alongside her father. She saw that some of the workers were filled with fear of death, and some others were fighting out of pure courage and bravery. When she noticed some of the attacking men, she was able to recognize a few of them. She recalled that they were with her father's men years ago, and remembered that they were even working together with them inside and outside of the farm. Confusion suddenly settled in Mary Jane's mind. She wondered how they turned against them, who were together with them in years. This thought and the pressing danger around created a mix of emotions in her. She did not know what to do.

All of a sudden, she rose on her feet, opened the window, and jumped out of it. Then, she ducked through the bushes on the ground and peeped through to see her father and his men continuously firing at the attacking enemy. She gasped for heavy breaths and yelled to her father, who continued to shoot with his gun and dodge bullets fired upon him.

John and Aaron were particularly emerged in the fighting. While a number of Aaron's men dropped dead on the ground, John's own men also suffered some casualties. At one point during the exchange of gunshots, John aimed his gun at Aaron, who showed up after a moment's hiding at the back of one of the cars. John shot Aaron at his left shoulder. The latter then fell to the ground, struggling to crawl at the back of the car. One of Aaron's men dragged him away from the firing range.

Aaron underestimated John, who was quick and accurate with his shots. Aaron applied pressure on his wound and yelled furiously wanting revenge.

Damn it! Kill them! Kill them all now! he ordered his men at once. Then, Aaron's men surged on to intensify the fighting. A torrent of bullets rapidly flew through the air, hitting some of John's men. The bullets made holes and damage to the shop, the garage, and even the house, although it was modified to better absorb damages from disasters including this one. The workers who were inexperienced in fighting dropped to the ground one by one after taking some bullets.

Mary Jane curled, covering her ears from the noise and the debris of broken glass and bits of wood that came shattering from the bullets. She began to panicked and felt gripping terror. She managed to bring her hands together and prayed for everyone's safety.

While she closed her eyes in prayer, a bright light shone from above. The light was so bright that she could not open her eyes. It felt like it was getting into her and in a short while she felt an amazing energy within her. She felt lively and strong with the bright bluish aura that's coming out of her body. The fear and terror she felt were suddenly gone. All she felt was courage and strong desire to help others put to safety.

She looked around and saw the ongoing gunfight. She saw her friends, her father's men, lying on the ground, bleeding. She also saw her father bravely dragging more of his men who were injured and, some, dying. Interestingly, she could also see bullets coming to her, and with surprising quickness she was able to dodge them.

Where are the police, damn it! MJ, what are you doing? Get back inside the house now! John commanded Mary Jane after seeing her standing in front of the house. Mary Jane tried to follow her dad at once, but when she noticed the ammunitions of the workers were getting low, she immediately came down running to the garage, got some ammunitions, and gave some to the workers.

Mary Jane Smith, go in the house now! exclaimed her dad. No! I am helping, dad, she defiantly shouted back to her dad as she dragged more injured workers into the house.

As she was attending to the wounded men, Mary Jane suddenly felt like something hit her. She quickly checked for any gunshots on her body. She then felt a very strange feeling. When she looked towards the spot where her father was bravely fighting off the charging enemy, she was filled with horror. Her dad was down, bleeding and dying. With tears rolling down her eyes, she quickly ran towards her dad. She immediately embraced her dad, calling him out to stay alive.

No, no, no! Dad, please wake up. Please don't give up on me! Dad, come on, wake up, please. Wake up! Mary Jane took heavy sobs as she tightly held her dad, who seemed to be losing his life rapidly. The gunshots stopped altogether.

Aaron, whose presence Mary Jane was unmindful of, stood tall, warding off his men who still held their smoking guns. He took the handguns that belonged to Mary Jane's father and placed them behind his belt. Then, he grabbed Mary Jane by her ponytail and lifted her up. Mary Jane let go of her embrace of her father. To Mary Jane's eyes, a dark energy was starting to get inside her. Suddenly, she could not move. Negagy was wrapping around her, draining her spiritual energy. Mary Jane's facial expressions showed pain. Then she let out a loud scream. Aaron dropped her, motionless, almost lifeless. Her body lay beside her dad's.

Get this piece of white trash away from my presence, Aaron ordered his men. One of them grabbed Mary Jane, lifted her up, and carried her on his arm like a piece of log. Aaron shot John to the chest, and then walked away along with his men.

Mary Jane, who saw the merciless act, could not free herself from the grappling dark energy that seemed to bind her. She could not help but drop more tears from her eyes, which were filled with great sorrow for the death of her dad. The thought of it kept rolling into her mind.

For a moment, Aaron's bodyguard, who was carrying Mary Jane, suddenly stopped from walking. Puzzled, Aaron looked at him. From behind them, Austenaco came out of the house and stretched a bow and an arrow, which was aimed at Aaron's guard. Without wasting any time, Austenaco fired the arrow to the guard, hitting his neck. The guard immediately dropped on his knees, sending Mary Jane's body to the ground.

Aaron was surprised to see his guard fell to the ground. He was even more surprised to see the arrow that hit him. It was not an ordinary arrow. He recognized the arrow was a special one -- a kind of arrow embedded with special powers only known to Angels.

Trying to move quickly with his wounded arm, Aaron ran to one of the trucks for cover and ordered his men, Take him out, quick! Shoot him! But before any of his men could react, two more of his fold fell victim to Austenaco's arrows. Aaron, then, ordered his remaining men to burn the house.

Some of Aaron's men fired bullets to Austenaco. Few others got bottles filled with flammable liquid, lit the rags in their mouths, and flung them towards the house. Austenaco and the farm workers who were still alive scudded out of the house, which started to burn. With agility, Austenaco was able to dodge bullets as he got closer to Mary Jane's body.

Maya! Maya! Wake up. Come here! Austenaco shouted to Mary Jane, who gave him no response. Austenaco grabbed another arrow and shot another enemy who immediately dropped dead. Keeping his bow and arrow at his back, he finally grabbed the young girl and ran back to the house.

Austenaco quickly snatched some personal belongings inside the house. The flame swiftly engulfed the roof of the house down to the walls. He carried Mary Jane by his shoulders and tried to find a safe exit of the burning house. The flame quickly spread all over the house. It burned the huge wooden beams on the ceiling causing them to fall. In all his might, he tried hard to protect Mary Jane from the burning debris.

Suddenly, the flames appeared to be what looked like a Demon. It rushed towards them and tried to pull them towards the raging fire. But Austenaco was quick to avoid it and saw one of the windows of the house for a possible escape. Choking from the heavy smoke and feeling the pain from his burning skin, he dashed towards the window and jumped out of it. Carrying Mary Jane's body, he immediately ran to the barn where a horse was stationed. She mounted Mary Jane on the horse and they hurriedly raced to their escape, leaving the farm and the burning house behind.

They headed to the mountains known for a small and forgotten Indian village. Before reaching the village, Austenaco made camp deep into the mountain. He wrapped Mary Jane with a blanket made by his