Prolouge:

Darkened Hope

All mortals are born with the scar of original sin. They go through their lives paying for that sin. Some fail, most fail, they give into that darkness that is burned into the soul. Others, well others, they heal that scar and become saints.

The celestial beings, however, were made to be perfect.

Never sinning.

Never questioning.

Never evolving.

Until one asked a simple question.

A question.

A war started.

A question started a war.

It was not about a loyalty divided.

It was not about power.

It was not about dominance.

It was a question.

Asking a simple thing.

Why must they love?

Love the mortals being created.

A question started a war.

A war started.

And ended.

Most celestial beings went on their way doing what they were made to do, be perfect little angels…

Then there are those who fell…

Cast out. Forgotten. Damned.

Those were the ones that humanity had to worry about; for if humanity forgot about the Damned, then what hope would there be to be absolved of a sin they never committed.

Hope would be found in an unlikely legion.

Hope would be found by those with Darkened Grace.

Hope would be found in those unjustly Damned…

Chapter ONe

The Cold Hand of Death

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

This was a lie… Well, just not the whole truth…”

The woman held Cain’s dagger at the being’s throat; the blade was cutting into the skin and blood dripped down the blade onto the floors of the catacombs. Not that the blood was noticed with the amount staining the ground, the pools of blood allowed the being to see their reflection as they kneeled before the traitor and the Sisters of Lilith.

“Abby, Abby, Abby! Your Guides are dead, your Protectors are dead, your Keepers are dead. Just give us the power of the mines.” Leslie McKinnon stated as one of her minions slit the throat of a Keeper. “Oh, before you think you have your backup lists, I hunted down your list of potentials.” Leslie bent and whispered into Abby’s ear. “Why do you not become the god you are meant to be, Abigail? With me by your side, the Earth will do nothing but bow and be little more than slaves to us. You don’t have to give the mortals magic, Abby.” She purred as she ran a hand down Abby’s blood-soaked face, moving a piece, well a chunk, of hair that was dyed with blood away from Abby’s neck. “Just me. Just give me immortality, and we can rule this world.”

Abby ignored her. Abby was screaming inside. She was… she honestly did not know what she was anymore. And this damn stone that was tied around her neck, the stone Michael once created to work against Lucifer, binding her powers, and preventing her from helping her people.

Leslie sighed and pulled at her hair, not realizing she loosened the knot on the stone, and it started to work its way loose. “Seriously, Abigail, you are a god. You should act more like it. From the stories, you are THE GOD. What is the truth, Abigail? Are you God? Are you our creator? Are you the giver of life? The taker of life? The one who blessed and cursed all of humanity?”

Abby wiggled, and the stone fell through her shirt and down into the blood. She did not worry about it, as the catacombs and mines would be shut down as soon as she pulsed her powers. She did not have a choice. Even if she never wanted to shut them off and down. “Your soul was a mistake to make. One of my largest mistakes.” Abby spat at Leslie. Abby knew she was confirming the myths, but they worshiped Lilith, not her. Lilith McKinnion, the mother of Leslie’s line. When Lilith was first human, before she became the mother of demons. 

Not that Abby ever blamed Lilith.

Lilith was blamed for wanting to be equal. For not being obedient. And she and her daughters were thrown out of paradise. Her daughters married the men of the second round of creation. And Lilith, well, Lilith fell to Samuel’s temptations. And then he abandoned her, and her mind just sort of… cracked.

So, no, Abby never blamed Lilith for her actions.

Abby spit blood on the ground as she waited to make her move. “A fucking mistake.”

Leslie slapped her. “You will just have to learn your place, Abby.” Leslie moved back to Jesse. “You did so well, Jesse,” she purred to the traitor. Leslie even ran a hand down Jesse’s face.

Abby looked at Leslie and her former Protector, Jesse Harrison. “Why Jesse?” She whispered; Abby did not understand why Jessie did this to them. They were… family… of sorts.

“Humans deserve the power of magic. I don’t believe we, as humans, should never control this power! You were keeping it from us! The Sisters of Lilith and Leslie made so much sense! They opened my eyes!” Jesse sneered as he explained. 

Abby sneered, her eyes flashing gold. “I can’t believe I was wrong about you. Or was I right until she seduced and lied to you, Jesse? Because you know she is lying. Especially about loving you. A McKinnon cannot love.”

Jesse winced before he put up an angry mask. “It is love! You do anything for love! So, I gave her this as a token of my undying love!”

“But not that! You don’t do that! Anything but that! You do anything except betray yourself! You love, you give and take, but you don’t fucking betray your morals and ethics. Not for a piece of ass that will kill you when she is through with you!” Abby looked at Jessie with a mix of pity and hatred. 

Jesse looked at Leslie. Leslie came up behind him, Abby on her knees and weak. “Don’t worry honey, this guilt isn’t going to last.” She took the blade of Cain’s dagger and slit Jesse’s throat. “Pity!” Leslie smiled as she clapped her hands. Jesse’s body fell to the ground and bled out, adding to the amount of blood these mines and catacombs have not seen since Abby created them when her brothers abandoned her. “What? I can’t let any Keepers, Protectors, or Guides actually live, my dear beloved Abby,” Leslie smirked. “After all, once a traitor, always a traitor. I should know.” She tilted her head, staying away from Abby, mostly on purpose. “Goodbye, Dear Creator!” 

Leslie went to lunge at Abby with Cain’s dagger, however, Abby called her magic and shut down the mines and catacombs, closing them in on themselves and making them disappear and locked down; causing the magic to be trapped within the objects out in the world and the ley lines. They could not stay that way, or the world would be destroyed. But right now, Abby did not have a choice. Not if she wanted to save the world from Leslie and her insane ambitions. That would do nothing but destroy humanity. And with it the world Abby gave everything up for in her existence. After she started the process, Abby wrapped her magic around herself and started to disappear; but not before the blade sliced deeply across her chest, but not quite entering her heart. As she fell onto her living room floor, she passed out into a healing sleep. 

When she woke, she knew the work to save the Earth would begin… 

She just hoped she was not too late to save her Earth…