It took three days before Lilith had her fill of the city folk before she came back, and at that point I was starting to lose hope that she’d ever show up. From the news of the recent increase in missing persons reports I could see that she was more than a little busy. I was barely conscious from the stress when she bolted into my office.

“Nice city you have here, Barbas, or should I call you Mark now?” Lilith said, her voice coated in honey. Evidently she was in a good mood.

“Lily! It‘s so good to see you back!” I answered, getting up and hugging her. I anticipated another knee to the groin, but was oddly surprised when she returned the hug without breaking any body parts and she gave me a peck on the cheek.

She must be in a very good mood.

“And yes, I go by Mark now, did Steven inform you?”

“No, your apprentice Becca did, in fact, she told me about your whole situation, so you can save your breath.” she answered, helping herself to my seat, “She acted as my guide and showed me around town this morning; we even got some coffee and… what are they called again? Dough nuts? Anyway, she’s very good company, completely wasted on you.”

I raised an eyebrow and said, “Becca? I thought I told her to stay inside… and how did she even find you? And she‘s not my apprentice, she just works for me.”

“Do not expect your minions to obey every one of your commands? Judging by the status of your legion, disobedience must have been a common occurrence. Just be glad that she has found me, for I wouldn’t be talking to you right now if she hadn’t.”

“Yeah, well, she’d probably be gone if I didn’t pay her.”

“Hmm, I wonder about that,” she said, “Becca seems to have taken quite the liking to you. See feels a healthy amount of respect, companionship and lust towards you, although I haven‘t the slightest inclination as to why she would adore an incompetent individual like yourself.”

Ah, another one of Lilith’s traits. She can sense the emotions and moods of the people she’s near, a helpful ability for a succubus when she’s presented with a person immune to her usual charms. With that ability she can adjust her approach in such a way that even the purest of minds would cave into the temptation, and I doubt that even Angels could resist if they spent any amount of time with her. However, I’ve learned long ago to keep her out of my brain out of necessity.

“Oh come now Lily!” I said, “You’re being too harsh on me. I must have some charm if I managed to ensnare such a lovely person like yourself before.”

And it was true, I did have a fling with her back when I was still in Hell. Our relationship - or whatever semblance of one that existed among us - was turbulent to say the least, but we enjoyed each others companies none the less. I had hoped that she still harboured some of those feelings after I had escaped from Hell.

Lilith’s eyes flared up a crimson red and she moved from her seat to the space in front of me before my mind could react. She placed a kiss onto my lips, her tongue forcing its way into mine as her demonic energies began to do its work. I felt the life drain out of my human body as every cell slowly died; I desperately tried to force her off of me. In my weakened state it was an impossible task to free myself, and I realized then that I was completely in the mercy of Lilith. If she wanted to she could end my existence right here and now.

Thankfully she broke off our “embrace“ before long, her features still unreadable. I stumbled a few feet backwards as I welled power and life back into my human guise.

“Do not tempt me, Barbas.” Lilith said, her eyes still glowing dangerously, “We may have gotten along before, but don't forget your current situation, nor will I your betrayal. Do not ruin my good mood.”

“Of course…” I said nervously.

“Well, it would be a pity if Becca met her end so soon. I will stick around for the time being, but do not think that I will go out of my way to intervene if anything… unfortunate were to happen to you.”

“Wouldn’t think of it.”

“Oh,” Lilith added before making her way towards the door, “Becca and I are going shopping tomorrow at noon, you are invited to come. You will come. You do not have a choice.”

Well, I had to go out eventually… time to see this through I guess.

“Right… I’ll see you girls at twelve. It’ll be, uh, fun.”

* * *

I waited for the two girls to show up at 11:55am by the front of my office building, nervously looking around to see if anyone - or any Angel - was out to get me. It was almost certain that the host would have asked Elizabeth about who I am, what I do, and most importantly, where my place is. The Dominion must has a pretty good understanding of my current situation.

Just to be sure I took with me an insurance… just in case Lilith decided to be less than kind and toss me into an unwanted situation. Strapped to my side, and invisible to everyone around it, was a sword given to me by Lucifer himself for my long servitude to his cause. The nameless blade was forged before the creation of the planet, and has been honed to deadly perfection through strife and thousands of years of battle. Although I have lost the majority of my might, my blade is as sharp as ever.

But, even with a weapon at my side, I was less than confident about stepping outside of the protection of my sanctuary. If a battle was to be started, then I doubt that I would stand a chance against even the most minor members of the Heavenly hosts…

“Hey, there you are boss!” a voice said, making me jump up; I was so nervous that I almost unsheathed my sword.

“Becca…” I said, breathing a sigh of relief, “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Wasn’t expecting me?” she replied, lifting her eyebrow, “Uh, boss, weren’t you waiting here because you were expecting us?”

“Never mind him, Becca.” A gorgeous looking Lilith interrupted, dressed in a more modest black attire, “His mind has decayed over the long centuries of existence, and there was not a whole lot there in the first place. You must forgive him for his idiocy.”

I forced myself to calm down, steady my heart rate, focus my thoughts and isolate that immobilizing fear into a deep part of my subconscious. I have lived through far worse than the current situation.

“Sorry about that, ladies. “ I said, my voice beaming with its usual lustre, “Shall we get going?”

I was still a little paranoid about stepping outside the building, away from the protection of my wards, but I was glad to see that I was not disintegrated by heavenly fire immediately. Still, the fact that we are not taking the car scared me. Maybe it was due to the presence of Lilith scaring off any would be attackers, or maybe my mind really has rotten away and I was imagining the whole situation. However, after only minutes I felt a slight presence following our movements, and I was willing to bet that it was the Angel.

I walked up to Lilith and asked her about it, and in answer she simply smiled and walked further along, pulling Becca with her. I guess she wasn’t going to help appease my inner paranoia.

But after a few hours of shopping I was starting to really doubt myself. No one tried an attack, no one tried to confront me, and heck, no one even looked at me (although I can’t say the same about my company, but those looks were due to other reasons). In fact, the time I spent in the mall was almost pleasant; Becca and Lilith acted like best friends, and although I am usually less than pleased when accompanying women with their shopping, my relief was more than enough to make the situation better.

Of course, my luck has never been pleasant, for at the end of the day, in the parking lot, I saw the distinctive glow of the Dominion. It seemed like the host was busy talking to a fellow shopper, and her attention - and subsequently his as well - slipped just enough for me to take note of his presence while he neglected mine. That feeling I had earlier was right, but why didn’t he take the opportunity to finish me off when he had it? Did he notice Lilith and chose to stand down?

Either way, I saw this opportunity as the only one I would have to strike. If I got a lucky hit on him while his full attention was elsewhere I may get lucky and wound him enough to win the fight; I've faced worse odds before. This is an all or nothing gambit, and although I’m not usually one to take risks, this is the best I can hope for. I unsheathed my weapon, and without looking back at my company I went on the offence.

An interesting caveat of a fight between the divine races is that it’s quite literally impossible to affect the mortals around us. As I approached the Angel with killing intent time slowed down around and the shoppers in the background froze and finally dissolved into nothingness. It was a quark designed by God during the early days of existence, a way to preserve His most precious of creations from the hazards of heaven and hell, but it is not absolute. Although there are very few who dwell in the mortal realms that can bypass this particular law, so it is not altogether impossible.

It’s a good thing that the people disappeared, it made the line to my target all the more easier to get to. I unleashed what was left of my demonic energies and swung my blade in an arch, hoping to cleave the Dominion’s head off. But of course the Angel noticed my advance. As good as I am at hiding my presence, the Angel was just as good at sensing even the most minuet differences in the environment. He drew his own sword and with Heavenly strength he parried my blow, sending me backwards from the impact.

Wonderful, my surprise tactic didn’t work. I recovered quickly and threw the entirety of my body into the next strike. I couldn’t allow the Angel to get even a moment of composure, my only chance of winning was to overwhelm him while he’s still slightly confused.

The Seraphim easily parried my blow, and as I continued to rain down slashes he dipped and dodged my sword, not even bothering to look like he was having a rough time about it. I couldn’t land a single hit, but that was suspected. In my weakened form I was severely outclasses in every aspect by my opponent. What surprised me was that the only thing that the Angel did was block my assault, he made no attempts to counter even when the opportunity was plainly given.

Before I could continue the Angel thrust his palm into my chest and retreated a few feet away.

“It is as they say, Barbas.” the Dominion said, his voice radiating with the command of one of Heaven’s warriors, “You really have lost your former might. I did not originally plan to intervene in your ploys, but seeing you in your pathetic state I shall do the world a service and end you of your misery. You do not deserve His kindness!”

“Wait, you weren’t planning on stopping me before…?” I asked.

“It is as I have said,” he answered, “I was tasked to observe you only, but now I see no reason to allow for your further existence. I shall make this swift.”

“Hey, if this was all just a big mistake maybe we can…”

The Dominion was on me, his attacks were swift and efficient but where he bested me in speed and strength, I was still the more skilled fighter. I’m not sure when this particular Angel came to be but I could tell that he is certainly not as skilled as the other Angels that I’ve battled during Lucifer’s fall. I managed to avoid most of the blows that he delivered using the barest of motions, but even still I could not come out unscathed. I could see his moves but in my current state I simply didn’t have the agility to move out of the way in time.

I tried my best to defend, and it took all my concentration from slipping up, but my guard was not perfect as I felt pain erupt from the rapidly growing array of wounds appearing on my body. I could only try to avoid my attacker’s slashes; I could not meet his attacks head on, his inhuman strength would easily break my arms if I tried, and as fast as I was, I’m certainly not swift enough to completely avoid this slashes. I felt his blade slice into my arms, my chest, my thighs, and each wound burned with Heavenly fire. I had to hope that he would slip up somehow, but the warriors of Heaven are second only to the warriors of Hell. They wouldn’t let off. I’ve made the biggest mistake of my existence for assaulting the Angel in my weakened state.

I knew that I couldn’t best him in a fight, and it seems that Lilith was not in the mood to give me a hand. I was losing ground, being pushed and beaten, and just when I was sure that I could parry no longer I saw the Angel’s movements slow down. He frowned, and I could see intense rage in his eyes, but both his speed and power seemed to have taken a dive.

I saw the opportunity and I was not going to waste it. With renewed energy I parried one final blow and started to regain my ground. I swung my sword high into the air and with every ounce of energy I drove it down. There was no beauty in my attack, no grace, but it worked. He managed to put up a guard before I could cleave the guy in two, but the heavy blow seemed to have upset his footing. I took full advantage of this little break in his guard and threw a low kick into his side, knocking him further off balance. With his mind momentarily focused on maintaining his stance I took a rapid thrust at his exposed side.

The Dominion managed to deflect the majority of my blade’s power but I struck blood. The corrupt blade hissed in happiness at the taste of Angel flesh, sucking away at the Dominion’s strength. Ah one of the reasons why I loved my weapon so. Having a made that originated in both Heaven and Hell made the thing anathema to all that touched it. Even the lightest wound inflicted would rot with unholy fervour as the blade sucked the very essence out of its victim. Against any other opponent that would have spelled the end of a fight, but this light wound is no where near enough to kill one of Heaven’s warriors.

Sensing the danger, my opponent unfurled his golden wings and took flight, but I wasn’t about to let him go. I could tell that he was still struggling to control the rot from spreading. His concentration was wavering and it make his movements unnaturally uncoordinated and slow. An easy target. I unleashed what was left of my past might and willed bottomless Hellfire into my hands, unleashing it towards my target. I saw the huge fireball fly true and crash into the Angel, consuming his body in an sickening display of power. Whether it was from the pain or the force of the impact the Seraphim crashed back down to earth, stunned. He didn’t even make it 10 meters from where he left.

I moved quickly towards the fallen body, my blade at the ready. The Seraphim sensed the incoming danger and desperately tried to move away, crawling on the floor, all grace gone, but it was too late. I was already on him. With my free hand I grabbed at his wings, willing hellfire to erupt forth. He burned, oh what a glorious sight, but Angels, especially ones made for war are notoriously tenacious. I knew that he would soon recover, and I acted before he could ever get a chance to.

In one last desperate attempt to save himself he clumsily swung his sword at my direction, I simply cleaved my sword in a wide arch and knocked his weapon out of his hands. I felt a smile grow on my face at seeing yet another fallen foe before me; how long as it been since I’ve had the satisfaction of a kill? Too long. I lifted the weapon for his execution.

Before I landed the finishing blow he looked at me and opened his burnt lips, as if he wanted to tell me something, but I silenced him for good with a swift swing of the sword, beheading my opponent. For whatever reason he wasn’t fighting at his best, I wasn’t going to let my luck go to waste by letting him speak. I whipped my blade clean and turned around, waiting for time to begin again.

It didn’t.

That wasn’t right, I had won the battle, and there were no others around… I brandished my sword and turned to the fallen corpse, but where he once was another stood in his place, and this isn’t a mere Dominion. Standing in full golden armour was one of the Archangels of Heaven, a being that is as deadly as she is beautiful. Her golden locks flowed in an invisible breeze, her radiant wings spread out in a way that encompassed everything around her, and the mighty blade she wield shone with power. This is someone that I could not take on. Not ever.

“Uriel…” I said, my voice shaking, “I wasn’t expecting you here. It‘s been a while.”

“Indeed, Barbas,” she said, her radiant voice overpowering the senses, “it has.”

“So,” I said, sheathing my blade, not wanting her to get the wrong idea, “what brings you to this part of town?”

“I think you know the reason.”

I took a deep breath and sighed. There was no escaping this one; even on my best day I was but an insignificant speck to someone like Uriel, the Seraphim of War, and in my current condition I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell to escape her. Trust me, I’ve dwelled in Hell for long enough to know the odds of that.

“Just get it over with.” I said, closing my eyes and waiting for the cold tip of her sword to bite into my neck.

“Barbas, I think you are mistaken.” she laughed, and as I opened my eyes I saw a sad smile on her beautiful lips, “I know the circumstances of your actions, and what you have done was not of your volition.”

“So… you’re going to let me go after I offed your Angel?”

“No, Barbas. Although you are not at fault, your actions have set in motion things that are beyond your imagination. And you must resolve them.”

“Beyond my imagination?” I questioned, giving her a strange look, “Uriel, I’ve seen the Fall of Lucifer; I Fell with him. What can be beyond my understanding?”

“Sometimes I forget that you have been with us since the beginning, Forgive me, I shall explain: the Dominion you have killed was deployed by me to watch over and hide a certain individual - a Nephilim.”

“A what?!” I exclaimed.

“The child’s existence was kept secret even from Heaven's watchful eyes through the Dominion, but her existence is now made public by your actions.” Uriel continued, ignoring my outburst, “Her name is Sara, and she is my daughter.”

Oh boy… If what she was saying is true then things are about to get interesting. See, Nephilims are the unholy union between Angel and Demon, something that was never intended to happen. And when something that the Creator never intended to happen happens, a slew of consequences tend to occur that threatens the very fabric of this existence. That’s exactly why He decreed the annihilation of all Nephilim shortly after Lucifer’s Fall, and He was thorough about it. This was a Decree that all of His early creations had to obey without fail, Demon or Angel, and if ever there was a Nephilim on Earth then Heaven and Hell will deploy all their resources to find and kill this abomination. It was one of the only laws that binds us so absolutely that not even the Fallen can escape, one that negates every other Law until the Nephilim in question is destroyed.

“Wait,” I said, my brain finally realizing the full complications of what she said, “you did it with a Demon…? You, the highest of Angels, a being that makes every Demon piss their pants in fear at the mere mention of your name, with a Demon?”

“It is as you say.” She answered, emotionless.

“But… why? No, wait, how? I mean, I thought that every Nephilim was eliminated thousands of years ago, and to keep it hidden from the Creator?.”

“The why and how are not important, Barbas, it simply is.” Uriel said, her face still unreadable, “Just know that I have hidden my child from the prying eyes of Heaven and Hell until now. I have failed, and although I am now powerless to intervene I will not give up my child so easily.”

“Let me guess,” I sighed, “you want me to hide and protect her, right? Oh, and also figure a way to prevent her from ever being found out, and hell, why not just find a way for her to live a normal life as well?”

“Correct.”

“And after that I should - wait, what?! Oh you have got to be kidding me… why me? I’m as helpless as a new born kitten! I barely fended off your Angel, and I can’t even keep my secretary in check! There must be people that are more qualified!”

“It must be you, Barbas - or should I say Mark. You have escaped the chains of Hell, and in doing so you have escaped the fundamental Laws of Creation that all the denizens of the Devine must adhere to. From your Fall you were no longer considered a part of the Heavenly hosts, and from your more recent activities you are no longer a part of Hell. This leaves you in an interesting position. You, Mark, are something else, something that can choose to defy the rules of God…”

“And if I say no…?”

“Then I shall cut you down here and now.”

“You know, that’s not going to help with the motivation.”

“Do this for me, Mark,” she said, finally showing emotion as her sorrowful eyes staring into my soul, “and I promise you that none of my kin will ever meddle with your Earthly affairs. This I can do, and I swear upon my honour.”

I considered the implications for a second, and although the promise of a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card was tempting, for all I know she could just be bullshitting. Once you’ve been thrown out of Heaven once, the whole bit about her honour meant as little to me as the mud on my shoes. Well, taking this case would almost certainly be suicide, but I really didn’t have a choice. I could either accept and probably die later, or decline and certainly die now. There really wasn’t much of a choice; I simply couldn’t say no.

“Ok, I’ll help, but what am I supposed to actually do? You of all people should know that I’m basically useless right now, I can‘t exactly stop a rampaging Demon or Angel.”

“I have faith that you will find a way.”

“Gee, that’s helpful!” I answered sarcastically, not even trying to hide the bitterness in my voice. “You know, if I wanted faith I’d have never left Heaven in the first place.”

“As for how to protect the girl, I believe that you should first acquire some of your old powers before the full might of Heaven and Hell are unleashed.”

“Oh yes, just go back to Hell where everyone wants my head on a plate, that’ll be a fucking walk in the park! Why didn’t I think of that? Holy shit, is that the divine insight your fucking Angels always brag about!?”

She ignored me. Apparently Archangels didn’t get sarcasm.

“Speak to Lucifer; speak to Sara’s Father. He will help.”

I recoiled backwards upon hearing that. Uriel and… Lucifer? Those two together? Those two in… love? It was something that I wouldn’t have imagined even if I was given all of eternity to think. That took all my fire away, anything that I wanted to say, to complain about was gone. I was simply speechless.

“And before you go, Mark,” Uriel said, taking off the necklace from her neck, “take this with you. I believe that it will help you when the time comes. Keep it safe.”

With that she threw the silver jewellery at me, and before it could even land on my hands Uriel disappeared and time was flowing once more. I grabbed the necklace - a simple silver cross attached with solid metal chain - and tucked it in my pocket.

“Uriel and Lucifer…” I muttered to myself, “Who would have guessed.”

* * *

Thanks to Lilith’s charm, nobody mistook my taking the unconscious Sara back to my office as a kidnapping, even if it technically was one. I had to explain the situation to both Becca and Steven, and thankfully they took the news without too much outburst or concern, although they were nervous about the whole idea of Heaven and Hell coming to forcefully take back the girl. After all, with me and Lilith back in Hell they would be the ones making sure that nothing bad happens to our new friend. I reassured them that it would take the guys upstairs and down some time to get ready, and that my wards would be more than enough to keep them safe for a while, but both Becca and Steven looked a bit sceptical. Ok, maybe even I was a little sceptical, but I didn’t tell them that.

With our final farewells I took Lilith’s hand and did what came natural, I opened a portal to Hell and did the one that that I never thought I’d do again.

I Fell.