7

We had foreseen this since the first day of Creation. The very idea of free will had precipitated the battle that had torn Heaven to pieces. The One had viewed choice and disobedience as part of the greater equation. Choice was something to be overcome, not to be ignored.

But the foresight did not make the decision any easier. All who used their ability to choose, chose to disobey. All who disobeyed were cast from Heaven. Some would join Lucifer in Hades while others would become neutral agents on Earth and watch over Creation.

Eventually, there would be peace.

But at the moment, there was only blood and turmoil. The Cherubim had handled the rebellious Seraphim with much difficulty, since their powers were so well-matched. Most of the Seraphim who were punished were those that had worked with Lucifer during Creation. A few were merely sympathizers.

Almost simultaneously, dissent broke out amongst those of the Second Sphere, who felt that Heaven was suddenly losing it’s natural order. There were not many and the Cherubim broke their ranks quickly. But it was amongst the Third Sphere, the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, that dissatisfaction so quickly became disobedience.

Some were bitter at being so low in the hierarchy of Heaven. Many had heard of the one called Anael who had been charged with an impossible task. They sympathized with him, for they too felt their jobs to be difficult or unimportant. And as one was cast down, another stepped up to defend him. One by one, the disobedient were cast out; they were so numerous that soon it seemed as if We had judged all of Heaven.

So many were cast out that the fallen Angels now outnumbered the unfallen. This, We had also foreseen. It was for that reason so many of the lower-rank Angels had been created. Their sense of morality was tied to their emotions, something that the other Spheres lacked almost entirely. Right and wrong for them was part of a greater purpose and had little to do with objectivity or a set of laws. The One had insisted that this would be their greatest strength someday. Though humans also had emotions, their morality was more separated, for they would be the force of push and pull to develop themselves and strive for greatness. The Angels sense of emotional morality would force them to protect what they believed in, despite any consequences. Whether on Earth, in Hades, or in Heaven, the Angels would be the guardians of Creation.

But foreseen or not, it pained Us to punish those that We loved. With each fallen angel, The One Who Is And Was And Is To Come had a heavier heart. After the last one had been cast out, Heaven itself was ordered to remain silent. An expression of sorrow would be shown towards the Earth, something that might ease the pain of those who now suffered on its surface, many of them burned and scorched from their great fall. And for the first time, the sun was covered by clouds and rain fell from the sky.