Heaven's ethereal sun washed over Angel as he flew toward the Exorcist training facility, situated in a valley about twenty minutes from the central city. After two exhausting days confined in shadowy catacombs—reviewing past executions with the limited information available to celestial beings of his rank—the rays of Heaven's sun offered a warm, welcoming embrace.
He traveled slowly, not just to soak in the heat and wind in his face, but to take time to organize his thoughts. Heaven seemed to be keeping a closer eye on Hell's population than he had expected. It appeared as though they were monitoring not only the number of individuals who were slain but also those who fell from Earth to Hell. It was as if the entire nature of the executions served as a form of population control, yet there was no apparent or obvious reason for it. He might have considered investigating what else was going on if he wasn't already focused on saving Charlie.
And that irritated him, too. The last time he'd been led into a mission without all the facts, he'd— He shook his head. He couldn't let that part of his past cloud his mind. Instead, he had done as promised and collected information on the hotel and the inhabitants. With what he had learned, he devised a strategy that should appeal to Lute while giving Charlie and her friends the advantage in the upcoming battle.
When he wasn't working on his plan, he spent each night meditating on the memories of his life with her on Earth, recalling every detail, both good and bad. Fresh were the love—and the pain—of the six-plus months they'd shared, and his impatience to return to her was difficult to quell. It took more meditation than he had ever done before to calm his emotions and focus on the mission.
Now, as he left the city behind, he flew down into a gorgeous valley where the facility was located. It was filled with lush green grass and flowing streams, and in the center stood an old Roman-themed Colosseum that spanned roughly the length of a football field and was filled with equipment and straw dummies used for training.
As he descended, he saw more than sixty Exorcist ladies, clad in black and white battle armor and masks, sparring with one another while attacking and dismantling straw dummies designed to resemble sinner demons. He also noticed a few that looked like Charlie and her friends. Recalling the seriousness of his mission, he reined in his anger to avoid detection and glanced toward the side of the field. There, he spotted Lute sitting lazily on some stone steps, prompting him to adjust his flight path and land just a few feet away from her.
"Angel." Lute's eyes narrowed. Her authoritative tone expressed displeasure. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up. We've been training since the crack of dawn."
"Please pardon my tardiness, Lute." Throughout his hours of meditation about Charlie, he had also set aside his anger over the meeting with Lute and Adam, and now possessed significantly more control. Thus, as he retrieved a roll of parchment from his robes, it was easier to maintain a calm tone. "It took longer than I had anticipated. There is a wealth of general information on Hell and its population, so isolating files on the hotel's inhabitants proved challenging. I have been awake since 4 a.m., gathering the final pieces of intel I needed to formulate a battle plan."
"Then I waive your tardiness." Lute accepted the plans. She unfolded them to review them. "Doing research and gathering information isn't the same as physical training, but it is just as important."
He was impressed with her tactical analysis. "Quite true. And if you don't mind me saying, I wouldn't have expected you to consider that."
Lute shrugged as she dragged her fingernail down the parchment, looking over the information. "My best friend, Chanise, is a scientist. I spent long hours waiting for her to finish any number of experiments before we could hang out. Then it was mostly about getting her out of that damned lab hut of hers to do anything fun at all." She pressed her palm down over the parchment. "Now, I hardly see her because of this."
The tone of regret was unexpected, and it presented Lute as more than just a rage-driven warrior. There was a moment when he considered trying to talk her out of the ordeal, but then he remembered Adam and knew it would only give away his intentions. Instead, he nodded in agreement. "Indeed." He turned to observe the exorcists on the pitch, training. "What tactics are they currently working on?"
"Quick, efficient strikes to the heart and head." Lute studied the plans, noticing his markings overlaying the hotel. She retrieved other sheets containing tactical information on Angel Dust, Husker, Niffty, and Alastor. Realizing the information she had wanted to review was missing, she looked up at him. "I don't see anything on Vaggie?"
"I assumed that, as one of Adam's ex-exorcists, you would have more intimate knowledge of her than anything I could uncover." He lied. He had discovered much information on Vaggie, which ended just prior to an execution event a few years earlier, indicating she was a highly valued member of the army and a close—very close—companion to Adam. He concluded that Lute's anger extended beyond Vaggie's betrayal, and he decided to let her personal grudge guide her actions.
"That's true." Lute agreed, her voice laced with malice. "It appears you gathered a good amount of intel on all the others, at least."
"As promised." He kept his eyes on the action on the field. "Do you have the information on your last attack from five months ago for me to review?"
"Here." Lute shifted a folder over to him. "It lists all the kills, how many each exorcist had—I scored best with two-seventy-five—where we focused our attacks, and most importantly, where we found our sister's body."
Tapping the folder, he nodded. "I'll look over this tonight. Mostly, I want to understand your attack patterns and how you deployed your army. How many soldiers did you have in groups?"
"We spread out." Lute's grin took on a feral aura. "Hunted down the slowest and weakest first, but there wasn't any formal or organized attack. We'd never needed it before."
"Picking off the sick and weak is how one culls a herd," he agreed through gritted teeth. He was thankful he was looking the other way when he spoke. "This will be a far more isolated attack, so I will work on formations while training."
Lute silently nodded in agreement while reviewing the info compiled regarding the hotel's defenses.
He observed her closely as she read. He had tweaked much of the information to give Charlie's friends any advantage he could.
For one, Angel Dust had six arms, but two were usually tucked away. He'd instruct the exorcists to be aware only of the four. Husker was an ex-overlord whose powers only manifested when needed. He did not include those details. Sir Pentious was a warrior and tactician; he considered him a kindred spirit. He was the one who created the egg minions, and he purposely left out just how many the snake sinner had. It would be helpful if they could at least distract some of the exorcist army.
Alastor was an enigma; however, little was known about him beyond the fact that he had eliminated many overlords since his arrival in Hell. His motivations were curious and uncertain, and he instinctively disliked the Radio Demon.
Nevertheless, he appeared to be an ally to Charlie, so he adjusted his details accordingly. If all went as planned, Lute would believe he had provided all there was to know about each of the inhabitants, rather than the bare-bones version she received.
After a few moments, Lute closed the folder, looking pleased. "I will take these to Adam and review them in greater detail. In the meantime, you should grab a battle mask," Lute pointed to a table nearby, "and join the training to get to know the army you'll be commanding."
"Yes, commander," Angel agreed, playing his role well.
Lute gave him a quick nod, spread her wings, and took off into the sky.
He was glad she wouldn't be around to hover over his shoulder, or she might become suspicious of his tactics. He needed to understand the army, each and every one of them, to find out which ones could be manipulated. By assessing each exorcist's character, he could figure out who was acting under orders and who truly harbored bloodlust. This way, he could organize them into smaller groups, isolating the most dangerous ones so he could steer them away from Charlie and her friends. He might even be able to plant the idea into the less violent ones that they could retreat if the outcome looked bleak.
Stopping at the table filled with various armor pieces, he picked up a battle mask and examined it. The mask was crafted from an unusual material that felt as strong as steel, yet remained very light. It was entirely black, except for the 'face'—a face that gazed blankly back at him. One of its two eyes was a round white orb, while the other resembled a rifle scope, complete with crosshairs. The mouth was a straight line stretched from ear to ear. When worn, the mouth and orb eye synchronized with the wearer's facial features, while the other eye utilized the inner mechanics that housed a view screen displaying heat signatures, vital signs, and other critical battle information. This allowed for greater accuracy in targeting the sinners.
He learned about these shortly after arriving in Heaven when he encountered the Exorcists for the first time. He was fascinated by Heaven's mechanical, technological, and industrial atmosphere, even though most things were still fueled by magic. This particular aspect also offered him comfort, as he had once relied on similar technology.
This will come in handy to keep me disguised so I don't distract Charlie during the fight. Setting the mask back on the table, he turned and stepped into the mass of sparring warriors, scrutinizing their movements.
"Angel." A familiar voice carried over his shoulder.
He turned to see Eryn emerge from behind a pile of straw-stuffed sinner dummies. He had anticipated this moment and needed to clear the air with her before anything else.
"Eryn," he greeted her. "I was hoping you'd be here today. I want to apologize for the other day at the courthouse."
She was dusting her hands of straw when she looked up. "For doing your job?" She offered him a forgiving smile. "If anything, I could have been more professional and not let my personal bias interfere with my own duties."
"We've been friends for nearly a year," he stepped up to her, and bowed his head in respect. "I could have considered your position with more compassion."
"Forget it," Eryn huffed gently. "After all, I believe that is what friends do?"
Chuckling, Angel agreed. "Deal."
Changing the topic, she studied him curiously. "Lute told me you'd be here today. I'm surprised. Why the change of heart?"
If he tried to lie, she would detect it. However, he was already prepared with a counter, one that he'd been thinking of since he'd learned of the executions. He controlled his voice to be light and curious. "Did you know your army was sent to Hell every year to execute sinners?"
As Eryn worked to set a straw dummy up on a pole, she shook her head. "No. I did not. I was just told to train them the same as I'd been doing for centuries. The only change over the last few years was that the training would take place at almost the same time every year for six weeks. It's always just basic exercises. To be prepared as any army should."
He knew Eryn could not lie and was thankful for her ignorance. Hoping to distract her, he continued his interrogation. "Have these dummies always appeared like sinners? Wouldn't that have been suspicious?"
"Oh. I know that the training over the centuries has always been about defending Heaven, and Hell is the only place that could reach here." Eryn shrugged. "But until Lute told me to be prepared to train specifically for an attack on Hell, I always assumed it was just basic prep."
She paused and glanced sideways at him. "You said you found the Morningstar's ideas honorable. I ask again, why the change of heart? Why help us train? Help Adam and Lute plan an attack?"
"We lost an exorcist in the last attack. We don't know how it happened. Adam and Lute attack each year with no regard for the safety of their exorcist army, and one of ours died because of it. I offered my services to prevent as many casualties as I could." He declined to specify whose deaths he was trying to prevent.
Thankfully, the narrow truth appeared to work. Eryn nodded. "Very noble, my friend. I must admit that I was quite curious. You seemed rather fond of Lucifer's daughter."
"I am fond of her ideals." He nodded, speaking as truthfully as he could without revealing too much. "My plan includes sparing her life, if possible."
"I see. What about Adam and Lute? They seem dedicated to her destruction."
"The destruction of her hotel. It could invoke Lucifer's wrath if they threaten to harm the Morningstar. I will impart my explicit wisdom to them that it would be unwise if they desire this attack to succeed in the hotel's demise." There was no lie in his statement. The contract between Lucifer and Hell specified that Lucifer would not interfere in their attacks, and as long as they did not deliberately try to kill the Morningstar girl, they had free will over the rest of the Pride Ring.
"That is true. So you will ensure my army does not go after the Morningstar, directly?"
"I have a very specific plan of attack in mind, my friend, one that should produce the correct results."
His answer was unusual. "Angel, I—"
He spoke over her. "Do you trust me?"
Eryn was taken aback by his interruption. There was a look in his eyes, a pleading gaze mixed with a hint of fear. Licking her lips, she responded candidly. "Implicitly."
Nodding gratefully, he made his request. "Then I ask you two favors."
Eryn's tone was guarded, cautious of what he'd ask. "Which are?"
"First, don't ask me anything you don't want to know the answer to." His tone initially conveyed a warning, but then shifted to something more like a plea. "And second, have faith in my plan?"
The first favor startled her. It meant he was asking her to frame her questions carefully. Her entire existence had been based on finding truth amidst lies, but after the court hearing and their confrontation outside, she knew there were times when ignorance might be the better choice. So, while it went against her very nature, she decided to trust him. "I do have faith in you, my friend, and I get the feeling you're asking me not to question your motives anymore."
With a slow nod, he met her eyes, hoping she understood. Her following words stole away much of his fear.
"You have my word," Eryn affirmed. "Whatever you are planning, I pray it's successful for you."
"Thank you, my friend," he sighed. "If all goes well, lives will be saved, and these executions will come to a close."
Eryn blinked in surprise. "Now I am very curious. But I promised you, and I keep my word." She knew the best thing to do was to change the topic. She looked him over inquisitively. "But you will be leading my trainees in battle. Are you armed?"
Shaking his head, Angel answered, "No, and I don't need to be. My role is to direct the troops, not engage in the battle myself."
"Uh-uh," Eryn tsked him. "I cannot allow you to lead my army if you are not armed. You might not wish to engage, but the enemy may engage you first, and you can't expect the troops to defend you while trying to defend themselves as well. Being armed means being prepared for anything. You, of all people, should know this."
Angel chided himself. Eryn was right. All he could think about was avoiding a fight with Charlie or her friends. It wasn't the best strategy to stay in the back and direct where to send the troops, but this entire ordeal had been driven more by emotion and love than by critical thinking. Eryn's insistence reminded him that it was far riskier for him to go in unarmed.
He glanced over at a pile of weapons and hummed. "I was trained in projectile weapons such as guns. I'm also quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat, with some experience in self-defense and martial arts, though I'm nowhere near a master's level. However, aside from close combat, there are no guns in Heaven. Here, it's swords, axes, shields, and blades. I don't have much experience with those."
"Maybe not with the ones we've forged." Eryn smiled, stepped up to him, and looked above his head. "Do you mind handing me your halo?"
He blinked. "My halo?"
"Mmmhmm." Eryn held her hands out. "Will you trust me?"
Tentatively, Angel reached up and touched his halo, feeling the solid steel of the ring, and marveled. "I didn't know it had mass. I always thought it was just a form of energy."
"All the time you've been in Heaven, you never checked out your halo?" Eryn smirked with amusement.
With a chuckle, he shrugged. "It just never occurred to me. There's no sense of weight, so I don't feel as if there's anything above my head. Out of sight, out of mind, right?"
"Our halos are made of angelic steel," Eryn explained. "Yes, ethereal magic suspends them over us, but they are just as physical as any of our weapons." She followed up by asking again, "And I have something I wish to give you. Will you allow me a moment with your halo?"
"Of course." He reached up and grasped the ring and brought it down in front of him with a slight tug, as if pulling two magnets apart. For the first time, he was able to have an objective look at it. The solid metal ring had a hazily glowing golden light around it, making him silently chuckle. It must be why they're called halos. It featured two slender spikes suspended in the center—one pointing upward and the other downward—with a small sphere nestled between them. Despite its near weightlessness, it felt neither flimsy nor fragile. After a quiet examination, he extended it toward Eryn, who carefully accepted it into her hands.
"Thank you." Eryn smiled, then closed her eyes.
In moments, the aura around her body began to pulse. Eryn hummed to herself as her hands moved around the ring, occasionally stopping to squeeze her fingers as if massaging the steel. After about a minute, she paused and opened her eyes. Smiling, she returned the halo and instructed, "Place it back on your head."
He obliged her command, and he felt it snap into place above his head. However, now there was a sense of something above him. He could feel its position and the comfortable weight of its existence. He looked at Eryn curiously.
"Now, look over at the assortment of weapons on the table." Eryn pointed. He followed her direction, and she continued, "See that sword?"
Following her instructions, he focused on the blade and nodded. "Yes."
"Imagine it. Imagine its shape: its form, length, and hilt." She directed. "Get the image of the sword in your mind."
"Okay?" Unsure of what she was getting at, he nonetheless obliged, and in a moment the image was solid behind his eyes.
Sensing he was ready, she added the next step. "Now, take the top spike of your halo and pull it down to your side, as if you're holding that sword instead."
It didn't make sense, but he did as she asked and reached up, gripping the top spike, which felt slimmer with a semi-rough texture, and pulled the halo over and down. As he did, the bottom spike stretched until it was as long and thin as the sword on the ground. He flicked his wrist and now held a warm, sun-yellow sword that pulsed with angelic energy.
His movements caught the attention of the training exorcists, who all rushed over, awed by what he had just accomplished. He hefted the sword, which felt as light as a feather yet as solid as any steel sword should be.
"Whoa," some of them exclaimed, their eyes following the sword's movements as he practiced swinging it.
"That's so cool!" One chimed in.
"I…I don't believe this." Angel hefted the sword in front of him. "How did you do this?"
"I imbued it with a bit of my energy. My soul." A mix of shyness and emotion marked Eryn's admission.
Surprised, he turned to look at her. "You what?"
"I gifted you a piece of me, Angel." Eryn's smile was warm and affectionate. "A part of my soul now resides in the energy of your halo. It will read your thoughts, similar to how I can discern truth from lies, but for the purpose of forming almost any weapon you can imagine."
"Eryn." He looked at the sword and then at her. "I…I don't know what to say."
"Most people say thank you," she teased.
"Thank you!" Truly, the words did not match how grateful he felt.
"Now," Eryn explained, "it is limited in how much it can expand, and it won't work as a gun or anything with complex moving parts."
"Ah." He grinned as he moved the sword around, feeling its balance and weight. "So it's pretty much the T-1000 of halos."
"Huh?"
Eryn's confused look amused him. He shook his head. "It's from a story on Earth, never mind. So you're saying I can form weapons, hmm?"
"And defensive items. Try a shield." Eryn suggested.
Closing his eyes, he visualized one of the shields on the ground. Within seconds, more gasps from the soldiers prompted him to open his eyes and see what had happened. Now, gripped in his hand was a nearly six-foot-long handle encased in a shield of pure golden energy, the halo forming itself into an elliptical ring around the handle.
"I can't believe this." He then pictured an axe, and the halo adapted to fit his vision. Next, Angel attempted something unconventional and transformed the halo into a kind of Frisbee blade, inspired by yet another one of his favorite films.
Hefting the blade to familiarize himself with its feel, he glanced past the exorcists to some generic straw dummies. He twisted his wrist to launch the blade, which spun at incredible speeds and sliced through eleven dummies standing in a row.
So clean were the cuts that the heads didn't fall off immediately, but when they did, they were smooth on all the straw. His eyes followed the blade as it swung through the air, changing direction and coming back toward him. Flinching, he instinctively caught it, the blade hitting his palm, with the energy acting as a shield of protection. He looked at his palm with a surprised expression on his face.
"You cannot suffer harm from your own halo, nor can others use it against you," Eryn answered his unasked question. "When it returns to you, it will alter its form to provide a safe grip. However, anyone else who tries to take it will be severely cut. Unless you permit them to handle it."
The exorcists cheered collectively at the display, then crowded around him, asking him if they could touch the halo and feel its power. He paused and looked at Eryn.
She knew what he was asking. "The halo won't harm them as long as you're okay with it. It will sense your aura and abide by your blessing."
Accepting her word, he addressed the group. "Go ahead."
Quickly, his halo was passed around the army, giving each warrior a chance to feel its power—the weight of it—and whispers grew among them that their new leader possessed one of the most unique and incredible weapons they had ever seen. Some eyes turned toward Eryn, their commander and mentor, with a mix of awe and maybe even jealousy.
"Practice with it, Angel, so that you will be prepared for whatever you may face." Eryn took a few steps back and spread her wings. "Now, since you are the commander of my troops, I will leave it to you to train them for the upcoming battle in whatever way you believe is best." Her expression revealed her curiosity, indicating that she wanted to know his plan. "I believe it's best to excuse myself from future sessions until the mission is completed."
Angel bowed his head to Eryn, knowing he would owe her a debt for the rest of his existence. When she left, he turned his attention to the troops.
"Okay, listen up."
In unison, the soldiers lined up in formation, standing at attention.
Angel strolled the line, eyeing each in turn. "Since one of ours was killed in the last attack, I'm here to train you to fight in ways you haven't experienced before. You will follow my orders and pay close attention to my tactics. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" All sixty warriors spoke as one.
The closest of the soldiers returned his halo to him. He nodded his appreciation as she stepped back in line. They had a great deal of work ahead, and he had approximately twenty-five days to prepare this army. Prepared—that is—to fail.
Flicking his wrist, he transformed the halo into his new sword, still amazed and honored by Eryn's gift. He held the blade out at his side and announced, "Then, let's begin!"