The fallen Angel

Fiona nodded at Drayce and opened the door. He stepped through and stopped short. In his awe-struck eyes, they appeared to be outdoors in a luxuriant flower garden. The red door vanished behind them. Drayce was breathless at the shear beauty of this new world. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky; white birds chirped and soared overhead. A large fountain arose in the distance. Drayce looked on at this marvel of nature full of colorful flowers and fruit trees.

"Where are we?" Drayce breathed.

Fiona shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure."

They followed a narrow walkway of ivory-toned marble through the garden toward the fountain. A woman with mid-length fire-engine-red hair, wearing a long white silk robe, came into view as they moved forward. She sat on a small bench, basking in her surroundings. As they neared, Drayce noted the woman had long pointed ears and wings with black feathers. Anariel was an angel.

"Hello, Ana," Fiona said.

"Fiona," Anariel said. "I believe I told you never to come back to Purgatory, much like I told you to never call me Ana."

"I feel your pain," Drayce joked. "She's not one for adhering to people's requests."

Anariel gazed upon Drayce with contempt. "Silence, mortal!" She turned to Fiona. "I would like to know why you brought this mortal here. They are strictly forbidden from entering Purgatory."

Fiona laughed. "For someone who went against the rules of Heaven, you sure have many rules of your own."

"Many? I have but two: no violence, and no mortals. Now, you have broken both!"

"Those rogue angels had it coming!" Fiona argued. "They thought they could buy their way back into Heaven's good graces by killing me. I had to prove them wrong."

"If you were anyone else I would have had my golems pulverize you into dust!"

"Why didn't you, then?!" Fiona yelled.

Anariel paused and calmed herself. "Because, if not for you, I would never have created Purgatory in the first place."

Fiona rolled her eyes. "You have a funny way of showing your gratitude. Instead of erecting statues in my honor, you banish me."

Anariel shook her head. "Your vanity knows no limits. I have no regrets for any of my decisions."

"Wait," Drayce interrupted, looking at Fiona. "What is your history with Anariel?"

Fiona flashed her signature cocky smirk. "I showed her exactly what the pleasures of the flesh were like."

"You mean, you two were a... thing?" Drayce asked curiously.

"If by 'thing' you mean lovers, then absolutely not!" Anariel declared.

"But we did fuck," Fiona said smugly.

Anariel snarled. "Your vanity is only surpassed by your vulgarity!"

Drayce was puzzled. "So, you committed lust. But I thought demons and angels don't have souls. Why would it matter?"

"Not that it is any mortal's business, but I once served as the lieutenant of Sofia, the Aspect of Love. For many millennia, I was charged with influencing mortals so they may find love and eventually procreate. For untold centuries, I watched humans engage in this blissful pleasure, but I was forbidden to ever experience it for myself. It wasn't fair."

"When an angel commits a sin," Fiona added, "they fall from grace. A fallen angel's feathers turn from white glory to dead black. Because of this, no angel can hide what they've done from those in Heaven."

Anariel spread her wings, displaying her dingy, dark feathers. "In addition to being cast out and ostracized, fallen angels are cursed with mortality. Their lifespan is longer than humans, but is no longer infinite."

Fiona put her hand on Anariel's shoulder. "And we are here to fix that curse."

"I'm curious how you plan to do that," Anariel huffed. "All my attempts to raise the curse with magic have failed."

Fiona reached into Drayce 's coat pocket. She pulled out one of the vials of virgin's essence they had collected from Penny.

"Where magic fails, alchemy prevails," Fiona said.

"Hey!" Drayce interjected, "I thought we needed that for the ritual?"

"Shhh!" Fiona scolded. "Why do you think I had you get two vials?"

Anariel looked at the small vial curiously. "Virgin's essence? While it does have purifying qualities, it's not enough for the curse of a fallen angel."

Fiona looked at Drayce suggestively. "That's where he comes in."

"Me?" Drayce asked blankly.

"The sperm of a pure soul can amplify any magical property," Fiona explained. "Mix the two, plus a few curative spells from yourself, and viola! No more black feathers."

Anariel stood; the front of her robe draped open. Drayce inhaled sharply at the pleasant view of Anariel's cleavage and a line of bare skin stretching all the way down to the stubbly bright red hair between her thighs.

"Is something the matter, mortal?" Anariel asked. "Is my appearance not to your liking?"

Drayce swallowed hard, chagrined to be caught peering at her trimmed pussy. He felt his balls swell. He was unable to look away.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Drayce said.

Anariel considered what Fiona said. "I don't suppose you're doing this out of the kindness of your black heart?"

"How right you are," Fiona smiled.

Anariel scoffed. "So what is it you want?"

Drayce approached Anariel. "I need one of your feathers."

"Ha!" Anariel boasted. "You, a mortal, want one of my feathers? What do you want it for?"

"Fiona and I have an arrangement. I seek only to know who killed my wife. Fiona claims a ritual would reveal the truth and an angel's feather is required for it."

Anarial hummed, understanding the situation. "So that is what this is all about. To use one of my feathers for such a petty reason is unthinkable!"

"Please!" Drayce begged. "You're an angel of love. You've seen how happy humans are when they are truly in love. Do you know what it's like to have that love taken from you?"

Anariel stood in front of Drayce , putting her hand on his cheek. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do. I was in love once too -- with a mortal, of all things!"

Fiona looked at Anariel in complete shock. "Really? You?"

"Yes. I loved him with every fiber of my being. Somehow, through some miracle I still don't understand, I was even able to give birth to my son."

"You have a child? That's impossible!" Fiona proclaimed.

"It is impossible." Anarial explained. "Beings with no souls do not give birth. Yet it still happened. I was then forced to watch my lover slowly succumb to his old age. It was painful to watch, but he insisted I let him die as a human, not be kept alive through inhuman magic. Though he may be gone, I still have my son. I seek this cure, not to preserve my life for my own benefit, but rather to protect my son. With him being half human and half angel, he is bound to attract the attention of both Heaven and Hell. Neither of which, I'm sure, would be happy with his existence."

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