Slowly, the loving and peaceful order that my father had put in place in the heavens was unraveling. Beryl knew that she had been classified as demonically fallen, Lucifer was beginning to question God’s omnipotence and right to rule the universe, and Zomerald mistakenly discussed angelic replacement theory not only in Selena’s presence, but every other second-generation angel at the ball heard him as well. If it was just a passing comment, they may have dismissed it, but he mentioned the libraries as well. Moreover, Lucifer and Beryl had been discovering magic secrets hidden in the libraries meant only for guardians. If war broke out among the us, it was only a matter of time until these secrets spread amongst whoever sided against God and the angels loyal to him. Beryl was already resorting to violence and her spirit was morphing into a monstrous form, something that I never imagined would happen to an original angel, born with the deep knowledge of God’s love ingrained in her heart.

One evening, Lucifer called to me out loud. I had to admit, his threatening tone made me reluctant to appear to him, but I came in any case. I did not make myself visible right away, though.

“Michael!” Lucifer yelled so much that his voice reverberated down the halls of the palace. “Michael the Archangel! Where the hell are you?!”

“There’s no need to yell,” I said as I materialized in tangible form. “We’re not even outside.”

“Stop treating me like a child!” he said. “I have a bone to pick with you.” He paused for a moment.

I shrugged. “Well?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that Beryl was becoming evil when I married her,” he urged. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Don’t you see? She wasn’t becoming evil when you married her. She was just a girl in love with someone else. I let her do what she wanted,” I said.

“What about the soulmate stuff and my betrothal to Raven,” he demanded. “What of that then, if I could have just married who I wanted all along?”

I sighed. “Soulmate theory is based on God’s ideal match for you,” I explained. “But if you vow yourself to someone else, you are bound by that as long as you both live. Raven will never be your soulmate again as long as Beryl is still your wife. And she is still your wife.”

“She tried to kill my sister. She’s acting crazy and she’s obsessed with power and controlling everything!” he complained. “I don’t know how to stop it. How do I make her go back to how she was?”

“You can’t,” I said, blinking tears away. “Beryl has always loved power. She was created to know God’s love more than any other angel, but she always admired him most for his almighty cosmic power. Had she married the archangel, my influence would have kept her from falling as far as she has, but any other pairing, no matter how lovingly pure in the beginning, would have not been strong enough to outshine her lust for power and authority.”

“So that’s it,” Lucifer argued with sarcasm. “If she had married you, she would have still been herself and everything would have been fine. But because she chose me, she’s losing herself and reverting back into demonic form.”

“Beryl was never a demon to begin with, Lucifer,” I admitted. “My father did not adopt her. She is as original of an angel as your sister and Sapphire.”

Lucifer groaned. “Why are you always trying to make me feel like things are MY fault?” he said back.

I held up a hand to explain. He opened his mouth again to insist on speaking but I spoke over him. “Personally, I would rather make no distinction between who was adopted and who wasn’t, Lucifer. That was the whole purpose of having the twenty-four elders birth you and the others who cried out for help against Satan’s tyranny in the other realm. You’re the one who keeps trying to figure out who was whom. Does it really matter?”

“Yeah, right,” he answered. “Yet, you know exactly who was whom and where everybody came from.”

“You keep reminding me!” I raised my voice as I was starting to lose my patience with him. "How can I forget if you keep bringing it up?"

“Whatever!” he said, dismissing the true intentions behind my actions, once more. “Just tell me how to fix Beryl back to how she was and I’ll stay out of your way.”

“What?” I exclaimed.

“You heard me,” he said. “You’re the archangel, Son of the Most High. You must know how to revert her back to how she was. Maybe a memory spell?”

“Lucifer, magic cannot be used to purify a heart, you must know that,” I answered. “That would take a different kind or miracle.” I knew what it would take and it was inevitable that I would have to die someday for Father’s creations. Except for one, they all sinned to one degree or another, not just Beryl. But I wouldn’t tell Lucifer about my plan, not yet.

“Yeah, well, you’re the only angel who does miracles instead of magic, so I don’t see how that’s a problem,” he remarked. He turned away.

“Lucifer,” I said. He looked back at me. “I always hoped we all could get along like a family. Selena isn’t the only one who feels that way.”

He narrowed his eyes with suspicion and balled his hand into a fist. “Just get lost. I’ll figure out how to help Beryl myself.”