They were all gathered at the edge of the pool. The place from which they would launch the attack on the Heaven's Gate and the palace. Lucifer and Michael for the first time in ages together again in their full Heavenly battle gear. Not the normal everyday uniform Michael wore but the gear that had only one purpose, war. Black heavy knee-high boots, dark blue pants and vest. Leg and arm guards forged in Celestial-fire with a silver-blue color. The main piece, however, that would cause a shock in Heaven were their breastplates, they seemed to mirror each other. Michael had a silver dragon and a golden lion with a crown of diamonds that were supposed to represent stars. Lucifer had a silver lion and a golden dragon with a crown with diamonds as stars. Celine in her fully self-assembled battle gear with which she had given so many Demons the fright of their existence. Waiting for Alexander, their commander in this endeavor. Ella looked at Lucifer from head to toe and was impressed. The good-natured nightclub owner had disappeared in his place had appeared a general, a hardened warrior. With a small smile she said to him:
"That's no Prada Lu..."
"The Devil doesn't always wear Prada dear."
Was his reply but she noticed that his heart was not fully in it, which she also understood. He was about to go to war and the tension was palpable. Alexander slowly stepped out of the house in a battle gear put together by himself. As usual from head to toe in the thick black fabric such as the special forces wear and a balaclava depicting the lower half of a skull exactly where it concealed his face. This suit whose mere sight was terrifying to the Demons in both this Hell and Hell in the other universe. The Demons in both universes knew him enough to understand that if he appeared in his black outfit there was some serious shit going on. On his chest a hell red fire-breathing dragon. His father Lucifer was the dragon, he the son of the dragon and he would burn this whole shit down if necessary. Celine presented him with the wooden box that everyone had already seen in the penthouse. Alexander opened it and took out a katana. He removed the sword from its blue scabbard, made a few swinging motions with it, and those present could swear the sword sang to him. It felt perfectly familiar in his hand. Lucifer looked at the katana and asked dryly:
"Flaming sword?"
Alexander smiled, but there was something steely behind it:
"Yep, only a tad better and different than that toothpick from Rae Rae."
Michael nodded and said without emotion to Lucifer:
"This could be fun."
Alexander looked at Azi and Crowley:
"Okay you guys, I'll have a message sent through Gabriel. First Amanadiel and Eve back to Heaven. For him, a cell in prison awaits. Dumping Eve somewhere in the city where she can be watched. Then dump Mazakeen somewhere in LA and bring our friends and the kids home. Decker last. Miss Lopez stays for a while because I want to talk to her afterwards. Under no circumstances will she have any contact with Decker! And I do mean under NO circumstances! Understood?"
When they both answered in the affirmative, Alexander lit a cigarette for the time being, which was handed to him by Celine. Less than five minutes later Azrael appeared with a hunted look in her eyes:
"Gabe says a few more minutes. Everyone is ready."
"Good..."
Was all Alexander had to say and put on his gloves. He did so very controlled and slowly so as not to show any nerves or uncertainty. The rest imitated him. Helmets were put on and swords drawn. Crowley who had never been a fighter and had trembling hands from nerves asked:
"Anyone have any famous last words?"
Lucifer replied bitterly:
"Do you feel like brushing the halls of Hell with a toothbrush for the rest of your perhaps brief existence?"
Crowley swallowed and shook his head, it was never a good idea to piss off the King of Hell.
"Well then shut up!"
Rae Rae said:
"Mylord, we're almost there. Gabe is counting down."
Alexander merely nodded, closed his eyes for a second and his sword ignited. The fire was a mixture of the blue of Heaven and the red of Hell. For a split second the eyes of Lucifer and Michael went big. They had seen a flaming sword in the past with the fires of Heaven. Never did they see one with the fires of both Heaven and Hell who seemed to kind of dance with each other.
"Five, four, three, two, one, now!"
Shouted the Angel of Death. Alexander swung the katana once, cutting a passageway beyond which the Gate of Heaven immediately became visible, and they stormed toward it. With one stroke of his sword, the gate flew open. On the other side Gabriel was waiting for them and said hastily:
"Everything but the palace is under control, the whole city. Ours wear blue armbands to be clearly recognized. In the city as promised no injuries except a few bumps and bruises. We must go now before he awakens completely from his deep communication with the throne."
Behind Gabriel, a large force was waiting for Alexander's command. The latter said briefly and in an authoritarian voice that made everyone know he was in complete control of everything and everyone:
"Gabriel, you and your troops the inside of the palace. Rae Rae the outside. Lucifer and Michael the throne room. Celine with me. I want this over as soon as possible AND IF POSSIBLE I DON'T WANT ANYONE BADLY INJURED AND CERTAINLY NO DEAD ANGEL UNDERSTOOD!"
All the Angels had heard his orders. The Angels' confidence in him had skyrocketed when he had made it clear that he wanted no wounded. They all knew what they had to do. No more need for discussion or questions. Thanks to their trans-location, they were directly at the palace and pandemonium broke loose. The very large supremacy meant that the fight was actually not much of a fight and was over quickly. Michael and Lucifer were the first to storm into the throne room. The appearance of the twins reunited in war was enough to knock most of Godfry's guards out of sync after which they could be subdued without much effort. The supremacy of four against one was too much. Although Alexander had promised not to enter the throne room until it was secured he had broken it for good reason.
An overwhelmed God simply could not understand that such a large-scale revolution was taking place in his throne room. Paying no attention to his surroundings, he jumped up from his throne. At that moment, Alexander appeared in front of the god with Celine at his back, and he pressed the tip of his still burning sword dangerously against the god's throat. He made a move with the sword, causing God to step aside as he felt the pressure of the sword all too well:
"Step aside, old man, or I will stab you through the throat right here and now!"
Alexander said icily as he pulled down his balaclava. Godfry knew very well that the young warrior, whom he did not recognize, meant what he said, for he already felt a few drops of blood running down his neck. He walked in the direction the sword was pushing him. It didn't matter what powers he tried to use on the boy, it led to nothing. When he tried his powers on the rest of the attackers, he felt that the young warrior simply blocked them. Nothing he tried worked against this young warrior and for the first time in ages, he became afraid. The boy looked him in the eye, and the look in his bright green eyes was enough to let Godfry know that the boy knew exactly what he was trying to do and found it extremely pleasurable that Godfry was powerless. Lucifer had come to stand beside Alex with a smirk, and God cast a scathing glance at him. Alexander said:
"That what you are feeling now old man is fear. Something you didn't know until now because you were always the most powerful. That ends here and now!"
Meanwhile, the battle around them was over, and you could hear a pin drop. The old god looked at Alexander with hateful eyes for daring to put a sword to his throat and shouted:
"How dare you! How dare you put a weapon to my throat! I am God, and I will destroy you!"
Alexander just smiled and thrust the sword a millimeter or so deeper into the old god's neck.
"You, you are nothing! An old fool who kills his own children, and without the throne you are laughable!"
Godfry knew that the young man was right. Without the throne, he was powerless, and worthless, just like those ungrateful children he had swept out of existence.
"What do you want? I am God and I can give you anything you want."
"I don't want anything from you. There is nothing that you can give me that I want because I will just take what I need and there is not a thing you can do about it! I want all the angels to be able to live without fear and in peace. So I will take what I need to do just that. The only question is how? Do I do it without you losing your head, or do I do it with your head rolling at my feet?"
Godfry knew he had lost. But he also had no desire to be completely wiped out of existence or to be left with nothing to show for it.
"Do you want this broken universe? Do you want my broken toys? Let me and my followers go to a new universe and you can have it. You can't fix this anyway."
Alexander pretended to think about this suggestion because it was exactly what he had hoped for. He nodded and deliberately used the word "win" in his answer, knowing full well that Godfry would latch on to that word:
"Okay, you win. I will open a passage to a new universe and you will never come back. But you go first and alone. We will clean up here first and heal everyone completely. Anyone who wants to follow you will be free to do so."
The katana sliced through the air, creating an opening to the new universe. Lucifer really couldn't resist, striking the old god hard and with full brute force on the chin. For the first time in his existence, Godfry was wounded. Both his lips were cracked by The Devil's blow, and blood ran from the corners of his mouth. The Antichrist couldn't contain himself when he saw the blood. The katana once more sliced through the air leaving a gaping wound on the face of Godfry. From above his left eye all the way to the right side of his chin. He kicked Godfry full on the sternum, sending him hurtling into his new universe with the words:
"Now fuck off!"
The rift immediately closed behind the old god. A few thousand Angels had entered the throne room in the meantime and had followed everything. The rest who were still outside had heard everything thanks to Gabriel's powers as the messenger of God. Alexander took off his gloves and his first words as the new God were to Gabriel as he prepared to take the throne:
"Gabe, ask Raphael if all is well with the wounded."
The new God took his seat on the throne after which two things happened simultaneously. He suddenly knew that he could communicate telepathically with his Angels in both words and images. And he saw a bunch of Angels in a building, one of whom was killing children. His soundless cry for Lucifer, Celine, Michael and Raphael almost literally hurt their heads. The images Alexander had seen projected in their heads infuriated them and they flew out of the throne room. The moment they arrived at the building their eyes lit up. Michael and Celine took charge of the six Angels outside. Lucifer and Alexander penetrated the building. The sight of Lucifer in his battle gear stiffened the Angels and five of the six were immediately rendered harmless. The sixth, unfortunately, had killed another child. Alexander now held his sword to his throat. The Angel began to mumble:
"Please don't kill me. I only did what God asked me..."
Alexander looked deeply into the Angel's eyes. Ice-cold he said:
"Take a knee!"
Terrified of the young warrior the Angel did just that. Alexander said:
"Spare you just like you spared these children? Fuck you and die!"
The Katana made a swift movement and decapitated the murderous Angel. Alex didn't even notice it, but afterward, he was covered in the Angel's blood. It was all over his face, his breastplate, his right hand, and his blond curls. The consequences of arterial spray after he severed the Angel's head. He turned and saw three young children clinging to each other. Michael, Celine, and Raphael had entered the room and were looking defeated. Raphael called in some of his healers because the fight had been short but brutal. The eleven remaining zealots were in bad shape. If you make Michael, Lucifer, and a demon furious, you'll get something like this. Without saying a word, Alexander told Celine and Michael to get the kids out of that awful place. He took the youngest child, who he thought was about four, in his arms and walked out, followed by the other two children in Celine and Michael's arms. Lucifer remained with his sword drawn in case any of the wounded wanted to act foolishly. He had determined that this would be the last thing that Angel would do and hoped that one or two would attempt something stupid. As they left, Alexander spoke quietly to the girl. He told her she was safe, that everything would be all right, that the bad Angels were gone and couldn't hurt her anymore. He asked Jophiel and two of her Angels to help the children. As angels of love, comfort, and mercy, they would be able to calm the little ones. A few moments later, the three Angels showed up and took over the care for the children.
"Take them to the infirmary, have someone scan them and make sure they can pass the night in peace."
He projected his next words into Raphael's head:
"As for those eleven wounded, as far as I'm concerned pull their spines through their throats!"
Everyone was quickly led away to the infirmary after which Alexander stepped back into the building. He walked to the small room where the massacre had taken place. He sent Gabriel the message that he wanted every Angel present in the throne room, no exceptions but the healers and Jophiel and her two Angels. He looked at the bodies of eleven murdered children lying in a grotesque heap, blood everywhere. He reproached himself for spending too much time with that old beast, that he could have saved them all. Tears ran down his face. Eleven murdered children and for what? Pastime for an old fool? A new toy for a senile bastard. Lucifer, Celine and Michael had come to stand beside him and Celine also cried softly after which Michael took her in his arms. Lucifer was shocked even though he had seen it far too many times in hell loops, it was different witnessing it with his own eyes. He placed his hand gently on Alexander's shoulders and asked softly:
"What do you need?"
The latter startled out of his thoughts, his face hardened in steel and his green eyes could reignite at any moment:
"What do I need? I want these children taken to the infirmary and treated like royals instead of test animals in a lab. I want them to be washed and oiled. I want them to be dressed in the finest linen with a golden thread. I want them transferred to the throne room and laid to rest in state. I want a guard of honor. I want each of these children to have four. I want to have all the official standards of all the archangels, including yours in the throne room as a tribute. That's what I need!"
He spoke steely.
Without another word he turned and made his way to the throne room. Taking his time, he needed some air and breath. In front of the palace he stopped for a moment and beheld the monstrosity. He thought it must be a farce from a very bad movie. The throne and thus Heaven answered him now, he would once all the Angels had left the throne room change this place with that horrible history very very quickly. He walked into the throne room where it became silent very quickly. The blood on his face, right hand, breastplate and in his curls made many Angels fear that they had exchanged one tyrant for another. Alexander simply walked to the throne, sat down, and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He could almost literally communicate with the throne which was strange and a phenomenon he desperately needed to unravel later. But the information he received came in bits and pieces mixed together. In those few seconds, a lot of information was pumped into his brain by the throne. He opened his eyes and took in the Angels present for a moment. Most were wearing the blue bracelet. Very many without the bracelet were no longer restrained. The Angels who had been insecure he assumed. A third group was still restrained though, they had to be the zealots he no longer cared for at this point. Before the children, he had hoped to convince at least a few of them to stay. He had wanted to send Amenadiel along with his father to undergo his punishment but he would now take care of that himself and it would be no fun for the former favorite. The massacre had changed that intention, he would pay the price. Alexander spoke normally, yet his voice was clearly audible to everyone in the huge throne room:
"I am going to ask you later which of you want to follow your father to his new universe. But before I do, I want to show you something. Whoever wants to leave after that can do so. No one will stop you. For those who have questions about my appearance or even fear that I am the same as your father or worse, you will see the answer now."
With a movement of his hand, it seemed as if a huge projection screen was turned on. Every Angel could clearly see what had happened, from the moment Alexander had arrived, the murder of the last child, the terrified survivors, the corpses of those already killed carelessly thrown into a corner. Nor did he hide the fact that he had beheaded an Angel and that it was his blood that clung to him. Sounds of anger, disbelief, horror could be heard in the hall. Tears ran down the cheeks of many Angels. Alexander raised a hand to restore calm and spoke on:
"Now you know why I look like this. Yes, I killed an Angel, one of your brothers. Am I sorry? Yes I regret that I could not kill him ten more times, once for every child in that room because he killed that many children, today! But as I said this is the time to choose."
Alexander stood from the throne and walked to the left side of the throne room. He cleaved a passage to the new universe with his sword.
"All who wish to follow their father come here and step through the portal."
All the Zealots stepped through the portal to Alexander's great relief. That was one less headache. Of the 1500 that had been undecided at the time of the coup, no one stepped through the portal; the slain children were the straw that broke the camel's back. When no one made any more moves to leave he closed the portal. He handed his sword to Celine and walked back to the throne. One could hear hundreds of Angels gasping for breath. The majority of the Angels thought the Demon would plant the sword in the back of their new God. The confusion was great when both Michael and Lucifer made no move and stood quietly as if there was no problem. When the Demon made no move to attack their new God and instead stood stately on the left side of the throne with Michael on the right it was a revelation to all the Angels. A God who had so much faith in a Demon that he gave up his weapon to that Demon without a glance, without guards, and turned his back without fear? A God who had made that Demon his left hand? Their father always had dozens of guards around him without a single Demon in sight. This new God had brought with him a Demon who fought by his side, who treated him with respect and conversely who he treated with respect. A Demon who treated him as if he were her king, her God. Alexander once again took his place on the throne. Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, Azrael and Celine got down on one knee in tribute to their new God. The rest of the Angels absolutely did not want to be left behind if a Demon knelt before their new God then so did they. He began his first real speech to a united angelic host:
"Please stand. I don't want blind submission. I don't want you to have to look up to me. I don't want to have to look down to you from this throne. I want us to be able to look each other in the eye and tell each other the truth."
The Angels, under the example of Alexander's faithful, returned uncertainly to both feet.
"Good evening. My name is Alexander Marcus Morningstar and yes that makes me the son of your brother Lucifer. I am sorry that this, let us say change of management, has come unexpectedly to some of you. The intention was to do this as quickly and non-violently as possible. Should there be any Angels here who has been injured I would like to offer you my sincere apologies. If there are any present here who have not yet been fully healed by Raphael and his people I ask that you please go to the infirmary later and get treatment."
The Angels looked at Alexander as if they had seen the sun rise for the first time. This God used words like please, I'm sorry and even apologized. They had never heard this before. Their respect for him seemed to increase with every sentence. Especially after what he had to say next:
"I know that things were not exactly easy under your father, especially for the last two thousand years. That he prohibited most of you from leaving the Silver City, that none of you were allowed to return to Earth to assist humanity. That many of you with powers such as mercy, love or the arts were no longer able or allowed to use them and were forced to become warriors. That almost everyone was obliged to work or worship him day and night and that only for his own glory. And unfortunately I know that since Lucifer's fall you have lost some 20,000 brothers and sisters in a mad purge by his tyrannical state. In other words for nothing. I feel very sorry for you. I feel for you because this is my family too. I swear to you that things are going to change from now on. I don't need buildings or statues to worship me because I don't give a damn about that. I don't need Angels day and night praising my glory, my omnipotence and omniscience. Because let me tell you a secret. Your father was not omnipotent or omniscient. They were just words to scare you! I myself am proof of that. If he had been omnipotent and omniscient, how could I have removed him from the throne? Your old God is not omnipotent and omniscient, so neither am I!"
A murmur of voices could be heard in the hall. Alexander raised his hand:
"You will soon have plenty of time to talk among yourselves about what has happened and about all I say. Things will change in Heaven, Hell and on Earth. No one will ever again be forced to work day and night or be a warrior. You will be able to use your powers again and embrace your specialty. Heaven will no longer be ruled by a tyrant on the throne. A council of Archangels will be established for the purpose of advising me so that the best decisions can be made for the good of all. There is a very high probability that with the consent of that council, I will include non- Archangels in that council. Therefore, I ask you to accept and respect the council's decision. That also means that the Silver City, the human fields, Hell and Earth will be under the supervision of that council. How are we going to do that? I would like to discuss that with you at the next general meeting. Right now, however, I have a very urgent question. You all know your younger sister, one of the youngest Angels in Heaven Azrael or Rae Rae as she likes to be called. Thousands of years ago, she had the courage and guts to stand side by side with my father Lucifer in what your father called an uprising, a rebellion, a war. All Lucifer wanted was for you, the Angels, to be free, to have the same freedom as humans. My father's punishment was to be thrown into Hell. The punishment Rae Rae received was perhaps even worse. Your father made her the Angel of dead, the only one of her kind. Her job, to guide the souls of deceased people who were stuck on Earth to Heaven or Hell. There are more and more people on Earth so also more and more souls to guide. For ages Rae Rae has had no rest, no breaks, never! In other words, she is literally working herself to death. I want to ask you, no, even beg you, in Rae Rae's name and in my name for volunteers to free her from that terrible punishment. This to help your sister to her so tremendously well-deserved rest."
For a moment, the Angels present did not know how to react. On the one hand, there was the sad story of Azrael that left no one unmoved because most seemed to know nothing about this. On the other, their new God who not only asked for their help but even begged for it. In no time, some 500 Angels raised their hands in the air and Alexander heard from all sides:
"I'll do it!"
Alexander smiled and turned to Azrael:
"How many do you need?"
"As discussed My Lord, 50 to clear all the backlog and after that 24."
He turned to the volunteers:
"Are there any warriors here who spend their days preparing for a war that will never come and would rather make themselves useful for a good cause?"
Of the five hundred, about a hundred remained.
"Thank you for wanting to help Rae Rae temporarily. By the looks of it, we have a few more volunteers than fifty."
Smiled Alexander warmly and gratefully.
"I will do my best to restore everyone to your specialty as soon as possible. Rae Rae is going to give you a crash course in soul transfer. When everything gets back on its feet in a little while we are going to make sure that Rae Rae has a permanent crew so that the stuck souls can get home without any of us having to work our asses off. So that no one ever has to work more than twelve hours and no more than six days a week"
Thick tears ran down Azrael's face. At last her punishment was over. At last she would be able to rest. She sank to her knees before the throne let her head hang and mumbled:
"Thank you My Lord, thank you My Lord..."
Even before she could repeat it a third time Alexander had already jumped off the throne, helped her back to her feet and held her tightly in his arms:
"You Azrael, you will never get on your knees before me. I will kneel before you even sooner than I will allow you to do it for me!"
Rae Rae needed a moment to come back to herself. Alexander subtly signaled to Celine who immediately left her place on the left side of the throne and gently embraced Rae Rae while her tears still streamed down her cheeks. He resumed his place on the throne. If the Angels weren't already stunned enough this was it. A Demon supporting and comforting their sister if that wasn't a sign that things would change. Alexander spoke on:
"You are all free until Monday afternoon. Monday morning I want the first meeting of the council after which it will become clear what we need to do. Until then you have time to relax, to visit your friends, to do what you want. I would like everyone to leave the palace in a moment. I am going to change this nightmare of a building and also erect a monument in the garden to the eleven children who were killed today. As an everlasting reminder that this must never happen again. It will become their eternal resting place. Soon they will be laid in state in the throne room and tomorrow at sunset they will be laid to rest. Everyone is more than welcome to come and pay their last respects but I do not oblige. And you are also more than welcome to participate in the ceremony to lay the children to rest."
He took a deep breath before closing the meeting:
"That's it for now ladies and gentlemen."
The Angels began to leave the throne room while their heads were still spinning from the difference that had come so quickly. Their rigidly tyrannical father on one side and now this new God who was so different. Who seemed to harbor a promise of a fresh start, a better existence for all. In the end, only Celine, Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel and Rae Rae were left behind. Lucifer asked:
"What are you going to make of this nightmare?"
Alexander smiled:
"Let's say something modern with lots of glass so there's lots of light but also a layout that works for everyone."
Suddenly Gabriel said a little alarmed:
"I just received a message from Lady Salome. She is requesting access to our universe."
Alexander thought for a moment and replied:
"Absolutely, for Lady Salome, Lord Robert and Princess Samantha always under all circumstances. Never will any stone be put in their way, clear! Make it clear to everyone when they are in our universe they absolutely should be treated with the respect they deserve. Just ask them to wait half an hour so I can transform this monster of a building."
Gabriel nodded. Alex turned to Michael:
"Can you put together some sort of honor guard? No more than a few Angels so they don't feel threatened but we can still pay homage to the Goddess and God of another universe."
Michael smiled and nodded:
"Of course boss, will get right on that."
As Michael and Lucifer headed out, Alexander closed his eyes to make his first tangible changes in Heaven. The palace changed from a drab medieval-looking castle to a brilliant white building. One couldn't really quite categorize the style because it was a hodgepodge of styles put together by Alexander's imagination. The central section looked very much like the White House in Washington and the side wings like those of the Palace of Louis the Fourteenth, the Sun King at Versailles but with much more glass. The central building had three floors and there were windows everywhere and the third floor was surrounded by spacious balconies. It seemed impossible that a building of this size could house the enormous throne room but if God built it then it didn't seem so strange anymore. A round monument without walls appeared in the garden. Only twelve huge pillars whose centerpiece represented a kneeling Angel facing inward, wings spread, wingtip to wingtip to form a protective ring around the heart of the monument. At the center of the circular shape, twelve pedestals appeared. In eleven of them a child would be laid to rest. On the twelfth only text appeared:
"Here rest in all eternity the eleven children we could not save today. Here, however, we also remember the one hundred and thirty children whose existence no one ever suspected. We may never have known them, never seen them. But I will absolutely never forget them! This is the place where I belong if in the future I fail to protect the children, the Angels, the Demons and the Souls entrusted to us. Alexander Dei"
Sweat began to form on Alexander's forehead and thick drops ran down his temples. He felt he was coming to the end of his strength. His connection to the throne was still too short to actually attempt matters of this magnitude in heaven but he had to be prepared. His steely self-discipline demanded he see this through to completion. Of the third floor of the new palace he kept the right side reserved for himself as one large suite, the furnishings he kept spartan for the moment. A very spacious sitting area with several couches and seats and a dining area because he had absolutely no intention of spending every moment of his existence like Godfry in the throne room. He had resolved to live as normal an existence as possible and where possible do things in an intimate setting. At one end of that space he created large bedrooms for himself and Rae Rae and a large guest room between the two. A spacious pleasant bathroom connected to his room and the guest room. On the other side also three bedrooms. Central one for the three children. There was not a hair on his head that thought of leaving them out of his sight before he knew what to do with them, and he would not leave them in that sterile infirmary a second longer than necessary. Those children needed rest and warmth. That was why he was taking a little more time to set up that room. At least he hoped he was doing it right. He had never raised a child before and all he had were images in his head of how people who belonged to his organization on Earth did it. Those seemed to do a pretty nice job as parents when he looked at their children and their upbringing. Of the last two rooms, one would serve as Celine's. Should he house her from the first day somewhere else he himself might become the next to have to go to the infirmary. The last room was provided for Jophiel and one of her Angels. These children were not to be left alone for the time being. The left side of the third floor he divided into two. A suite for Lucifer and a suite for Gabriel. He knew that Michael had his own place close to the warriors' dojo and was really attached to it, so he wouldn't want to give it up. The same was true for Raphael, who had a cozy, welcoming home right next to the infirmary. He was definitely not going to trade that for rooms in the palace. The rest of the Palace he left alone that could be done later. Now he needed the last bit of his energy to adjust the throne room. Close to the throne appeared a conference table with comfortable chairs. And about in the center of the room, eleven white marble tables appeared. Each had a soft white mattress and pillow laced with a fine gold thread. This is where Raphael and his people would lay the children. With that, Alexander had come to the end of his strength and collapsed on the throne. Celine and Rae Rae flew toward him. Not really panicked but still sufficiently concerned. He smiled at them:
"I'm okay. Just did a little too much but it had to be done."
In Rae Rae's hand appeared his favorite mix and Celine held out his cigarettes and a lighter. Which he gladly took from the two of them. He drained the glass in one gulp and lit a cigarette:
"They may be bad habits but if you are immortal? What does it matter?"
The worried looks disappeared from the eyes of the Demon and the two Angels. Apparently, that meant he was indeed just tired and needed to refuel energy. He stood up with Celine's help and dropped into the main chair at the conference table.
"Gabe, would you please let Raffa know that the eleven children can be transferred to the palace when they have finished their preparations. Then Jophiel that tonight she can transfer the three in her care now to the third floor. In my suite there is a room for the children and a room for her and one of her Angels provided so someone can always be with them. Also a message for Azi and Crowley. Have Amanadiel brought here and put in a cell, the coldest and dampest one they can find. And let them put him in shackles. He knew about this so he can start paying for it as well. The cell my Dad was in before he was sent to Hell seems still there so dump his ass in that one. Then, put Eve somewhere we can keep an eye on her. Preferably close to the Dojo so that Michael's people can watch her. If it makes her feel a bit uncomfortable to be continuously watched over by gruff looking warriors, nice bonus I would say. The rest can wait a little while, give my apologies to Daniel and Linda for the unanticipated delay. And let Michael know to warn his people to keep their paws off Crowley. I wouldn't exactly appreciate it if one of my idiots gets hurt on the first day."
He lit another cigarette and closed his eyes for a moment. Less than a minute later, they flew open again:
"Damn, how could I forget!"
He shook his head for a moment and muttered:
"Come on Alex, get your shit together! Gabe will you call Lucifer back?"
Gabriel was busy sending all of Alexander's messages.
"Sit down, it's fucking bullshit that I would be the only one in this room who can sit!"
The three did as they were asked with a smile. Their new God was regaining his feet, although not yet by any means firm on his legs but enough to dispel that last bit of worry about him. Lucifer entered the room and stepped up to the table. He wanted to take a seat across from Alexander but the latter stopped him.
"Did I say you could sit down Mister Morningstar?"
For a second an alarmed look appeared in Lucifer's eyes but when he saw the mischievous lights in his son's eyes he knew his stern words were played so he played along:
"My apologies Mylord, what can I do for you?"
"Well not sitting down would be a good start because then you wouldn't be able to do something much more important!"
Lucifer looked at Alexander not quite understanding but suspected, no hoped that what he was about to say was what he had been craving since the battle had been fought. A feeling, a longing that he did not understand and yet again could not and would not break free of.
"Dad, go back to Earth. Let your friends, our friends, know that everything is over and what happened. Antony and Azi are going to bring Daniel, Linda and the kids back home as soon as possible, letting them know that their ban on entering Heaven has been lifted. Do tell Daniel I will keep an eye on him, that lifting the ban is not a permanent open invitation to Heaven. I might go a little Old Testament on his douchy ass if he ever strays of the path again and disappoints Miss Beatrice. I do not know why but I seem to like my Sunflower very much, so better not to piss of the new Dei! I do want to ask you for your own good to stay away from Decker. No, I order you to stay away from her as far as fucking possible! I will explain to you later how she was able to poison you're thinking and feelings but I don't have the energy for that now! You must have noticed that your thinking and your emotions have changed, have become purer. So leave it like it is! After that, will you ask Ella to come here, even if it's just for a visit. I want to have a talk with her and make her a proposition."
Lucifer's face lit up like the sun. He made a small bow and said:
"Of course Mylord!"
He did not wait a second, turned around and disappeared from the throne room at lightning speed leaving a smiling Celine and Alexander in his wake. Gabriel suddenly looked at Alexander with concern:
"Alex, they're here and you still look, well like shit."
The features on Alexander's face hardened again:
"I know. But I have no intention of hiding anything from them, not even my part in it. No secrets to have!"
The three nodded and knew that said it all.