Son of Matthew

[dracoboy8]

closed

Drake had come across many churches and cathedrals before, but this one seemed to be more elegant than the rest. It looked welcoming to a fatigued traveler. Drake still had a few miles left in him but he did not come across a sight like this very often. Walking up the stone steps and into the large wooden doors he entered the sanctuary. As he entered he heard signs of struggle at the front of the sanctuary. There were 3 brutes that seemed to be ransacking the cathedral. Before thinking or making any other conclusions Drake ducked in a row between 2 pews, laying horizontal with one.

Listening to the commotion, he concluded that the men were robbing the cathedral of valuable items such as gold money and sacred items. They were shouting at monks to run and get them everything valuable that they could find, and when the monks came back the men hit them and sent them to the floor. After the monks brought everything to the robbers, 2 of them ransacked the building personally and brought up more valuables. Then they beat up the monks. Staying here and doing nothing was against Drake's morals, even though it would stir up trouble, so he stood and took a look at the men.

They wore shoulder plates, and helmets, and they had sheathed Swords. They had red plumes on their helmets, red cloth beneath their armor, and boots of animal hide. Drake was now in the aisle between the rows of pews creeping down towards the men. Just when Drake was about to reach a checkpoint and hide behind a pew, one of the robbers turned around and and saw Drake. Shouting to the others, the man looked as savage as ever. They turned around and faced Drake, now about to go three on one, but one stopped. His face contorted with rage and he hissed at Drake like a cat.

"Angel!" He hissed and the other two men hissed like cats as well.

The one in the center, presumably the leader, stepped forward and opened his mouth. He let out a deafening roar that was incapable of being a human or an animal noise and a pair of blood red wings unfolded behind his back. He sustained the roar, and his wings erupted into two pillars of black fire that melted the metal and the stained glass windows he was standing in front of. The heat of the fire even disintegrated a hole in the stone that was behind him, and the monks were burnt up instantly.

Drake was far enough from the fire that he was not burned up, but his hair ignited and all exposed skin was given third degree burns. His face and neck were charred, and he could no longer feel from them. Drake was sent to the ground but only felt pressure when he hit the ground because of all of his destroyed nerves. One of the men from the side leapt in the air, closing the distance between Drake and him, and kicked Drake with supernatural strength. Drake flew all the way to the doors and smashed through them, splintering them into pieces. It was nearly impossible how drake was still alive let alone conscious, but the force of the kick rolled him onto his side and saw the three men far away. Drake could not move, but every inch of him was now saturated with pain. All four of his limbs were broken, he was now deaf from the roar, and he could not see from his right eye because of the heat. He also felt that his back was broken.

So there he lay in the entrance of the cathedral awaiting his death. The thing with wings of black fire took a leap towards Drake clearly big enough to reach him, but it's path was blocked by a force glowing with golden light that had appeared out of nowhere. It had the form of a man, and was brandishing a katana that was 12 feet long and radiating with golden light. The figure also had two beautiful golden wings that were each about 9 feet long.

The figure that had wings with black fire instantly drew his sword and clashed with the golden figure. At that moment the very laws of physics were altered. Black light emanated from the evil being's sword as gold light emanated from the righteous being's sword, and the clash made an indescribable sound audible to even Drake, who was now deaf. Where the black light and the gold light met it created a color unseen before to the human eye, and even Drake who was blind in one eye saw this. The strange color extended and when it reached the ceiling and walls of the cathedral, the strips that the light was touching instantly disintegrated and a fault was created in the earth below. The two figures were now in a loud and furious blade lock.

A second being glowing with a softer golden light appeared just as the cathedral began to come down. He looked like he was shouting but Drake heard him shouting more so in his head than from his ears. "Matthew, the boss says He wants to see you immediately!"

"Can't you see that I'm a little busy Gabriel?" The other figure of golden light shouted back

"I'm just relaying orders!" Gabriel yelled again, over the noise.

"Tell Him I will be there after I have the situation taken care of!" Matthew shouted back. "Do me a favor and take care of the one in the doorway, I will explain later!"

"Very well!" Gabriel shouted and glided over to drake. Meanwhile Matthew and the evil being had pulled apart and were now engaged in vicious combat. Matthew had a 12 foot sword, but he wielded it like it was plastic at speeds supernatural to even that of the elves, the vampires, and all creatures combine. His movements were so swift that his sword was a solid beam of light showing all of the movements with his sword. The evil being was doing his best to block the attacks but he was losing ground. He leapt back 15 feet and the cathedral roof was coming down on him in great big chunks. Gabriel had now reached Drake and picked him up in his arms. Drake did not feel his arms or hands, and it was as if he was floating on air.

"It's okay Drake, I've got you. You're in good hands, I will take you to Seraphina and she will fix you up" he said. "Just go to sleep" he said and touched drake's forehead with his index finger. Drake instantly slipped into a deep sleep, only to awake in the most brilliant, and interesting place he had ever been in before.

[dracoboy8]

When Drake came to he did not open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he felt no pain. He opened his eyes and... Wait... He could see from both of his eyes! He wiggled his fingers, then his toes, and then he began to move his limbs. They weren't broken! He sat up, and his back held out so obviously that wasn't broken. He gasped as he saw that his skin was completely normal, and not burned. He ran a hand over it and it felt smooth and softer than normal. He rubbed his ear and- wait a minute! He could hear again! He looked around and noticed that he was in a completely plain white room with a door at the end. He wished he had an explanation and not even having thought that for more than five seconds, the door at the far end of the room opened. Drake hadnt really payed any attention to the size of the door until now, but it was a lot larger than he thought. It was about twelve feet in height and over five feet wide. As the door glided open three beings, angels Drake assumed, gracefully strode in; Matthew, Gabriel, and the other unfamiliar.

Matthew was tall and handsome with brown hair that was about the length of Drake's, and glowing blue eyes. His face was medium length with a smaller nose and he bore a soft expression. His cheekbones protruded slightly but not too much. He was garbed in a white tunic and on his belt a normal length katana sheath was fastened. From his back two beautiful feathery wings glowing with powerful golden light extended. Each was about nine feet long and were about three feet wide. Matthew looked like he could be twenty one years old, and the muscles in his arms were were easily seen. He was wearing brown sandals, and all of his skin seemed to be radiating the beautiful golden light that Drake could stare at for days. The moment that Drake lay eyes on Matthew he knew that Matthew was a warrior. He had been to battle many times, yet he bore no scars and his face or expression was not toughened from it.

On Matthew's right side was Gabriel. When Drake looked at Gabriel he knew that Gabriel was not a warrior, but a messenger. Drake knew that Gabriel was not just any messenger, but he was the messenger. There were no others, just him. He had short brown hair that suited his younger looking face well. He looked like one of the same age as Drake, about nineteen, and had green eyes that glowed with passion. He had feathery golden wings that were about five feet long and three feet wide and glowed with a softer light than Matthew's. Just as Matthew, he was garbed in a plain white tunic but had a leather tube strapped to his belt. He wore brown sandals and continued along Matthew's right side.

On Matthew's left side was an angel of healing; as was the notion that flooded Drake's mind when he saw her. She had curly blonde hair and was more beautiful than any woman Drake had ever looked upon. The beauty that she wielded was incapable of being described with any words, picture, or legend. Her face was more on the longer side and was narrower than Gabriel's, with soft glowing skin and extremely feminine features. She had rose pink eyes that cast a substantial glow that was not obnoxious, but stronger than Gabriel's or Matthew's. Her beautiful white wings did not glow golden, but emanated a soothing white light that washed a sense of peace over Drake. She had a gorgeous appearance that looked similar to the age of Gabriel and Drake, and a slim figure that was garbed in the same clothing and footwear as Gabriel and Matthew. This girl truly lived up to the definition of angel.

They three angels stopped when they got about three feet from Drake's bed, and smiled at him. Tearing his eyes off of the girl, Drake looked attentively at Matthew. Before Drake could say anything, Matthew said "It seems we have a lot of explaining to do," and Drake nodded. The odd thing about Matthew's voice was that Drake could hear it with his ears, but he heard it in his mind as well.

"I will handle this Matthew, you never did have a way with words," Gabriel said speaking in the same mind audiable voice, and Matthew nodded. "Drake, do not be alarmed at what I am about to say, but you are in heaven right now."

Despite what Gabriel had just said, panic flooded Drake. "You mean I'm dead!?" Drake yelped

"No," Gabriel said with a smile "You are alive and well in your physical body right here. You are just visiting heaven in your physical body for now."

Drake felt relieved to know that he was alive, but he looked around him in confusion. "This is heaven? It's a little bland if you ask me. I was expecting it to be a little more... colorful?"

"Do you want it to be colorful?" Matthew asked

"Umm... I dont know, I guess" Drake replied

"Close your eyes" Gabriel said

"But-"

"Close your eyes" Matthew repeated and Drake closed his eyes. "Now think of a color. Any one will do." Drake thought this was silly and decided to open his eyes, but right before he did the color tie dye popped into his head. Drake opened his eyes to a tie dye painted room. Drake sat back in awe as he gazed around the room.

"Pretty amazing isnt it?" Gabriel asked with a grin

"Is it ever!" Drake marveled. He closed his eyes and thought of a couch. When he opened his eyes a big white couch with big fluffy pillows and cushions appeared on the left side of Drake's bed. "Is it real!? Sit down!" Drake urged the angels

"Thank you Drake, don't mind if I do!" Gabriel grinned as he walked over to the couch. Halfway there he paused and looked at Drake. "Oh, I forgot to introduce you to these creatures. I am Gabriel, the messanger."

"Wait! You are Gabriel?? From the bible?" Drake said surprisedly

"Yes" Gabriel laughed. "That is Seraphina, our main healing angel." he said motioning over to the girl that Drake was mesmerized by. She smiled shyly and looked at Matthew. Drake noticed that Gabriel was looking at him as well, and Matthew was looking at Drake.

"I am Matthew the archangel." He said, and Drake Gasped

"Matthew THE archangel??" Drake yelped, "The highest ranking angel and commander of all angels in heaven appointed by the boss Himself???"

"Yes. I am also your father" He said

[dracoboy8]

Drake's jaw dropped. He knew that his father was an angel but he didn't know that he was singlehandedly the most powerful angel in the entire kingdom of heaven. He stared at his father not believing what he had just heard and he smiled and opened his arms. When Matthew smiled he seemed to glow brighter as he flashed his white perfect teeth. Drake jumped off his bed and gave his father the biggest hug he had ever given anybody. As he and his father embraced, Drake felt one of the oddest sensations he had ever felt before. His wings started to go numb from the base, all the way out to the tips. Vibrations then shot through the same areas and he began to feel advanced feeling in his wings.

"Ahh!! What's happening!?" Drake yelped in shock pulling away from his embrace. He looked back and saw that his wings had started to glow a bright beautiful golden color. They started to fade and the feeling went away when his wings turned back to their normal grayish color. He looked around and the angels laughed and beamed at him.

"Your wings have begun to charge Drake." Matthew said, and continued at Drake's confused look "any time a young half angel feels love, their wings begin to charge. When they are fully charged [OOC: Drake level 2] you will be able to use them and fly. They will also remain their beautiful golden color. Did you know that you can reveal or hide your wings to anybody you wish, except other angels?"

Drake shook his head and thought about what Matthew had said. He glanced at Seraphina shyly then asked Matthew "how come..." he paused shyly again but then continued "how come Seraphina's wings are white?"

Gabriel smiled and said "I thought you would ask that. Seraphina's wings are white because she is a female."

Just then a shooting pain shot up through his right leg making him colapse. Matthew caught him and lay him on the bed, and Seraphina came over to Drake's right side and looked down at him. "Sorry," she said in a more girlish but soothing voice, "the boss told me not to heal you completely until you woke up." Sitting him up she placed a soft warm hand on his left cheek and kissed Drake on his right cheek. Drake now knew why authors described their lovers with "lips of an angel" but he knew that none of them truly knew how powerful that phrase was. Her lips were cool, but soft and relaxing. Drake felt a warm and tingling sensation spread from his cheek, in his head through his torso and down to his legs. He felt the damaged skin on his legs turn itchy, but then relieved. Surprisingly Seraphina kissed his cheek for a few moments longer, then pulled away and let go.

Drake sat there staring dumbly his blanket and Gabriel said "Seraphina is our angel of healing. She heals major injuries and revives the dead primarily through kisses but if the injury is less than a broken bone she usually kisses on the cheek"

"You mean She kissed me?" Drake asked, his face turning a shade of dark red.

Glancing over at Seraphina Drake noticed that she was just as red as he was when she looked at the ground and said "Yes, but you were unconscious." Drake turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Now," Matthew said in an excited tone "the boss believes that you are ready to start your training, if it is your desire"

"What training?" Drake asked

"Your training to become an angel of course" Gabriel answered

"I dont understand, arent I already an angel?" Drake said

"Well yes, you are a half angel making you part of the race of angels, but the boss has decided to give you the opportunity to be trained as a true angel" Matthew replied

"You mean a warrior?" Drake asked

"Precisely!" Gabriel happily said. Drake sat back and thought for a moment. He had never thought of himself being a warrior before.

"I think I would rather heal..." Drake said

"You can train to be primarily a healer, but also aspire to be a high rank if you wish" Matthew answered

"I will need some time to think about it" Drake said

"I understand. You have had a lot happen to you in the past few days." Matthew said

"He needs rest" Seraphina said

"yes" Gabriel agreed "when you are done, call out to one of us with your mind and we will come and give you a tour"

"Haha okay, sounds good" Drake replied. The angels bid drake a farewell, and Seraphina came to Drake's side and gave him another kiss on the cheek. Drake relished every moment of the kiss, as her soft cool lips caressed his cheek. He closed his eyes and she left a small moist spot on his cheek as she pulled away. He opened his eyes to watch her leave, and gently ran his finger over the moist area. He felt the substance to find that it wasnt liquid of any sort, but more of a small cloud that lingered on his cheek and clung to his fingers. He looked at his hand to see that he had a small whisp of a pink cloud on his fingers, and it disappeared soon therafter. Drake looked up to see Seraphina glance at him shyly and give a sheepish smile before shutting the door behind her.
"Heaven?" Drake mumbled softly to himself "I believe it"

[dracoboy8]

When Drake woke up he felt a faint gnaw of hunger in his stomach, which confused him. He thought nobody had to eat in heaven, but he was curious so he sat up. Drake didn't want to leave the comfort of his warm fluffy blankets and his mattress that formed to his shape, but he had to eventually so he tossed the covers off and jumped out of bed. He was extremely surprised to find that there was no drastic temperature change or cold air that hit him when he jumped out, it was just as warm as when he was wrapped up in his blankets. Standing where he was he felt the cooler air gradually envelope him and got a bit colder. Drake was preparing to call out telepathically to one of the angels when he heard a gentle knock on his door. Instead he directed his thoughts to whatever figure was on the other side of the door. "Come in" he called and the door slowly opened.

A figure entered that looked like a man, but He glowed with bright white light and had brown hair that came down to his shoulders, and kind brown eyes. His face held the shape of an hourglass and he had a neatly trim beard that grew about his jaw line all the way down to his chin. He was dressed in a robe just as Drake and was barefoot as well. He walked up to Drake and embraced him sending warmth and a sense of peace all through his body. Pulling away He took a good look at Drake and said "You have your fathers eyes... and your mother's face. Just the way I made you," with a smile.

"So... are you who all the angels always talk about?" Drake asked

"I go by many names, but they all address me" He said. "Now Matthew spoke to you yesterday of becoming an angel. Is it something you are interested in?"

"What would I be learning?" Drake asked "I want to be primarily a healer."

"You will be trained to be a healer almost as good as Seraphina. But since you are the direct descendent of Matthew the Archangel, you are able to assume his nature of command. The angels will look up to you, and you can lead them into battle. Are you up for it?"

Drake sighed and thought. After awhile he said "Yes, I am"

Jesus smiled and embraced Drake again. "You are very special Drake. Just remember, when you are at your worst, and there seems to be no way out, you have the most powerful weapon of them all," He gently touched his finger to the area directly over Drake's heart "right here." With that he smiled, bid Drake farewell, and exited the room.

Drake thought for awhile and then figured he had better start his lessons immediately, so he called out with his thoughts "Gabriel, please tell my father that I am ready to begin my training"

"Very well" He heard Gabriel's voice say back in his head, and Matthew walked in less than a minute later.

"Drake" he said beaming, "I see you have come to a decision." Drake nodded his head, and Matthew continued. "You are a half angel, which means you are part human. Human nature is to sin, and I know that you have sinned before. Angels are by nature perfect, yes they have free will, but they dont sin. Before we go on with your training, you must be cleansed and agree to not sin in the future."

"Very well" Drake said, how does this work?"

~two hours later~

"Thats it?" Drake asked

"thats it" Matthew replied. "you are now ready to begin your training. We are going to dive straight into one of your duties as an angel."

"What is that?" asked drake

"Defending the astral plane" Matthew said with a smile "Lets begin"

[dracoboy8]

"The first step to this duty is to get to the astral plane. This requires astral projection." Matthew said. "Everybody has a physical body, and an astral body. Your astral body is simply a copy of your physical body that is able to travel to the astral plane. Throughout your everyday life, your astral body is intertwined with your physical body, woven together and you cannot feel it. The link to exiting your physical body in your astral body is the shift of consciousness. To do that you must enter a state called the bridge, humans refer to it as sleep paralysis. Angels have the power to enter the bridge at will, but there are circumstances. Lay down."

Walking to his bed, Drake lay down on the mattress on top of the fluffy white blankets and said "What next?"

"Close your eyes and focus on the center of your eyelids. What do you see?"

At first Drake saw nothing, but then he saw swirls of color floating across his vision. He focused on the area he was told to, and after a few minutes he saw a neon outline of what looked like a lemon with a circle of black in the center. "I see a neon yellow ring that is in the shape of an oval" Drake reported

"Good. Stare at that, and as it gets brighter and brighter concentrate on the center. Think of yourself flying right through that circle and onto the other side." Matthew told him. Drake did as he said, and he was left concentrating. It wasnt until after five minutes of focusing on the center of the ring, something happened to Drake. It almost felt as if a wave washed over him, and all of his body was now vibrating. It felt like a lead blanket was being set on him ever so slowly from his toes to the top of his chest. "Now, since you are a beginner I am going to help you. Focus on the center of the ring and see what happens."

Drake waited, and about a minute passed. He began to think that nothing was going to happen when he felt something tighten on his left hand. A force began to pull and his entire existence begin to vibrate violently. He began to start floating in the air, and his entire body felt as light as a feather. Then Matthew's voice called out to him, "Open your eyes Drake."

Drake opened his eyes, and saw Matthew standing over him. Matthew looked just as he had in heaven, but looking down at himself Drake looked somewhat translucent. He moved his arm and wiggled his fingers, and decided that he felt real enough, but then he noticed where he was at. He was in the room he had just been in, but he saw himself lieing in his bed with his eyes closed. He looked at his translucent self, then at his body, and put 2 and 2 together. Standing up he looked at Matthew in awe, who simply smiled in return.

"Angels have the ability to pass between realms directly, but you are only half angel so you can only pass directly with help of another angel. You can, however, pass through realms in your astral body, but you must first pass through the astral plane." Seeing Drake's blank look, he said "Let me show you what I am talking about."

Matthew turned and started walking, and Drake began to follow, but when he brought his foot to the ground he floated up in the air. He began to think of following Matthew, and he began to float towards him. This amazed drake, as he could swiftly glide along instead of walking. Looking around Drake saw that everything was white, and angels were gliding from place to place, appearing and disappearing here and there. There were random doors all over the place, but for the most part everything was white, and very light.

"The astral plane is widely used by angels and entities of all sorts. You could say it serves as a train station, and a world for supernatural beings to dwell in." Matthew stopped, and for the first time Drake noticed an enormous golden staircase that was being guarded by at least 50 angels in heavy armor with golden swords, katana, and axes. Each had a heavy helmet and a large shield, and Drake could literally feel the power emanating from them.

The mouth of the staircase was almost larger than life itself. It stretched on for a huge expanse, and was white with extremely fancy and divine gold trim. When Matthew drew near each one of the angels clicked their heels together and saluted him in unison, crying out a word in tongues. Matthew gently spoke in the jibberish-like language, but even the lowest of all beings could tell that his authority was among the highest. The angels relaxed, and Matthew spoke to them again, this time motioning to Drake. They all gave a cheer and Matthew beamed. He started towards the staircase and looked over his shoulder.

"Come," he said, and Drake glided after him towards the enormous staircase.

"Now, each dimension has a link to each other through the astral plane. There are 152 dimensions, but most are off limits to all but angels. All you will find in them is supernatural outcasts and renagades, and a whole lot of trouble." Matthew said.

"How can you tell when you are going into a different dimension?" Drake asked

"Well, most of the good and high vibrational dimensions are linked with staircases and ladders. Heaven is the only dimension that has this brilliant golden staircase, and you can tell it from all the rest. If you ever need to get to heaven, look for this staircase." Matthew said. Drake looked over the side of the staircase and saw that everything was now getting foggy and obscure. The staircase was the only thing that shone brightly. "We are now passing through the Rerum Dimension, the one you came from that is" Matthew told Drake, "here you will meet a variety of different entities, angels, and demons. You can-"

"DEMONS???" Drake cried

"Yes demons," Matthew said, "as long as you have me by your side you have nothing to worry about."

"Okay... sorry" Drake said sheepishly, feeling stupid because he now remembered how powerful his father was. The staircase ended, and Drake looked down to see the earthy soil of a field. He further examined the plane to see there was brush and wild plants in the field and he looked at Matthew confusedly.

"The astral plane and the physical plane are intertwined. Right now we are in the physical world, but on the astral plane." Drake nodded, not fully understanding what his father just said, and they began their trek into the foggy plane.

[dracoboy8]

Gliding through the field beside his father, Drake looked around in awe. Although it was grey and foggy there was tons of color and life just under it all bursting with energy. They found their way to a dirt path with trees and grass on both sides. In the distance Drake saw a dark silhouette sustained in the air. Coming closer Drake saw that it was flying, but not flapping wings. When the silhouette came into view Drake saw that it was bursting with color, and it was... it was just weird. It had the wingspan and body of an eagle, but a pineapple head and a wolf snout. It had a peacock tail and horse hooves where its feet should have been. It made a mewing noise that a cat would make, and when it opened its mouth it let out a huge gust of wind in the physical plane.

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[OOC: Yes guys here is a demonstration of my terrible photoshopping skills; I guess i took digital photography for nothing]

"These are called gales, they are the source of all wind in the physical plane." Matthew said. "They do not fight and are completely harmless."

"It looks really weird" Drake said, "do all entities look like this?"

"Some can get pretty bizarre" Matthew laughed "and some frightening to weaker beings."

The gale glided farther and out of sight as Drake and Matthew continued along. They passed by towns with busy people and entities of all different shapes sizes and colors, and eventually they came to a large cliff. Beyond it was nothing but black, and Drake had the strange feeling that if he fell over the edge, he would never stop. Matthew snapped his fingers and a brilliant glass walkway with gold flecks in it extended from the edge of the cliff into the darkness. Matthew started down and Drake followed, trying not to look down. They walked for about 20 feet and out of nowhere they came to a large chunk of land with crops of dead brown grass.

Ash covered the grass and some of it was charred. Looking up, Drake saw the very place every being dreaded going. Large black Gates were about ten feet wide, and they extended farther up than Drake could see. Binding the two doors of the gate was an amazing chain of orange fire and a beautiful golden lock. Behind the gate was a glowing red staircase that had orange flows of color migrating around on the stairs. On the sides of the staircase was fire, and a deep orange glowing came from far behind the gate.

"These are the gates of hell. They are off limits to mortals, only angels and demons can summon the bridge to them, and angels are only to visit them on official business."

Drake stared at the gates in awe and turned around to look at Matthew. Just as he did, he saw Gabriel arrive off of the bridge. "Matthew" he said, "One of the somnatis ipsum fulmirx have been breached by the seventh, we need you as soon as possible!"

"Okay I will be right there" said Matthew in a gravely serious voice. Gabriel left immediately, and Matthew turned to Drake. "I've got to fly, there is trouble. I haven't the time to explain now but I will tell you when i see you later. Drake, I want you to close your eyes and think of your body. I need you to concentrate hard and really focus."

"Okay, goodbye Matthew" Drake said. After Matthew bade him farewell, Drake closed his eyes and focused on returning to his body, and he felt himself flying through the astral plane. He weaved and spun through the air until he finally stopped abruptly. Drake stayed still, concentrating on his body, but nothing happened. He cracked his eyes open and found himself in at the base of the staircase leading to heaven, but his path was being blocked by at least 45 angels clad in gleaming silver armor holding swords, katana, and shields.

"None shall pass!" the head guard boomed

"But Matthew told me to return," Drake said

"None shall pass!" the guard repeated

"Great... now what" Drake muttered. Turning around he decided that he might as well explore some of the astral plane, so he started down the path again. The astral plane had a path that was not seen in the physical world, and it seemed to lead everywhere. Drake followed the path and heard something that sounded like a high pitched mooing, but couldnt find the source.

Finally he came to a dead tree and in it he saw a creature with a human body, a giraffe neck, a mountain lion face, and a duck bill. As soon as Drake saw this, he jumped back and his eyes widened. The creature leapt out of the tree and Drake saw that it had lobster claws where its hands should be. It started towards drake and instantly every inch of him was saturated with fear. Suddenly a dark aura was cast about Drake, and creatures started appearing out of nowhere. There was an elephant with no face or tusks and 12 trunks, but the trunks were tentacles. None of the tentacles had suction cups on them, but on the ends they had mouse faces that were laughing in a deep voice like a stupid person who was easily amused. There was a bear with a snake face, and pterodactyl wings and there was some sort of dog that had lizard feet and horns.

Drake yelled with fright and started to run down the path. All of the creatures began to follow him, and they were making odd noises while chasing him. The giraffe thing made a high pitched mooing sound, the elephant creature was still laughing hysterically, and the bear was making a sound that sounded like the air being let out of a balloon. The dog thing was the most diverse of all, because it was trumpeting like an elephant, cawing like a crow, and leaping in the air like a kangaroo. Drake was fleeing for well over 5 minutes when all of the sudden the creatures dispersed and ran the opposite direction of Drake and he turned around to watch them go.

"Haha! And stay away!" Drake yelled, still walking backwards. Drake then bumped into something, and froze. He waited for several long seconds, and then slowly turned around. Standing over him he saw a hooded figure with extremely pale skin, and completely black eyes. Fire was coming out of his eyes and his surrounding face was on fire as well. The demon had black wings, each 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. He opened his mouth and let out a savage roar.

Stepping back he bared his teeth and claws as he glared at Drake. He begun to circle Drake, who followed suit. Suddenly it was as if the demon had disappeared and reappeared behind Drake. He hit the side of Drake's head, sending him flying. The demon disappeared and reappeared on Drake's other side, hitting him again and repeating this action. The demon went on battering Drake around, and Drake felt all of the pain as if he were in his physical body. The weirdest thing about it though, was that with each blow he took Drake felt sleepier and sleepier. It was almost as if the very energy was being sucked from him.

Drake tried to put up a fight, but he was no match for this thing. Just as he was slipping unconsious a being that was glowing with golden light stepped in and shouted something at the demon. The demon sneered and the last thing Drake saw was the being of light and the demon clashing.

[dracoboy8]

When Drake finally came to he was exhausted and he felt extremely depressed. To even open his eyes seemed like the mightiest of all tasks. He felt like a bug that was squished under the foot of a scornful human. He opened his eyes and groaned, only to spot Seraphina smiling shyly down at him. He yelled and sat up straight; suddenly he had more energy than he had thought. She giggled in her girlish voice and Drake felt himself turning a deep shade of red.

"Do you know what happened?" Drake asked her

"Yes" she said still giggling, "Phineas told me. He said he was on the way to help fend off the seventh when he stumbled upon the demon attacking you." Drake had so many questions but he was so drained that he couldnt think of any of them to ask Seraphina. Apparently she noticed this and placed his feeling because she said "Would you like to go on a walk together? I can explain more about what happened if you would like."

Drake stared at her stupidly for several seconds, then her words registered to him. "Oh! Yes I would love that!" Drake said excitedly.

Seraphina took him outside of his room and down a corridor that had a door at the end. Outside they found themselves on top of a mountain overlooking beautiful landscape such as trees, grasslands, and even other snowcapped mountains with waterfalls coming off the sides. At the foot of one of the mountains was a large body of water with a reflection of them.

"This is where angels learn to fly" said Seraphina, "the planes of heaven."

"How big is it?" Drake asked

"It goes on forever." She replied

"Whoa..." Drake marveled, "how do you get back into where we just were?"

"You ask in your head, and you will find it"

"This place is so confusing" said Drake

"Yes, The Boss is very mysterious in his ways. But he always works things out to his liking in the end. Now," she looked at him with her bright beautiful smile, "to begin your training as a healer."

[dracoboy8]

Drake walked down the lavish hallway, where the very walls seemed to radiate the familiar golden light. Today was one of the most important days he had ever lived. After several months of hard training, Drake was now on his way to meet the boss. It was today that Seraphina had presented him with a white tunic and sandals just as the other angels were garbed in. Today he would see if he was worthy of taking up the sacred oath of the high order, and becoming an Angel of the Ninefold Celestial Hierarchy.

The Ninefold Celestial Hierarchy is the highest of all Angel orders, and very few are ever accepted. They command all the Angels in the kingdom of heaven, and only 3 are in the order. The three angels that were in the order were Matthew (Drake's father), Michael (Matthew's brother), and an angel named Raphael. Drake had not yet met Raphael, but he expected to today.

Walking on either side of Drake was Gabriel and Seraphina. Gabriel had a golden tube on his belt rather than the one he normally carried, and on his belt was the sheath of a shortsword. Seraphina's pink eyes glowed brighter than ever, and her curly golden locks were put up in a bun. Curls came out of the bun and her bangs were left free, brushed off to the side. All three of the angels had dead serious faces because this was nothing to be taken light of. He did not know how the ceremony would go or whether or not he would be accepted, but he was very excited.

At the end of the hall the convoy came to a halt, and so did Drake. Before them were two enormous stone doors of beautiful make and trim. The doors emanated with gold light just as the walls did.

Reaching into the tube on his belt, Gabriel pulled out a golden-translucent piece of parchment and read, "The escort for the ceremony of The Ninefold Celestial Hierarchy has arrived. Drake, Son of Matthew requests entry to His Majesty's royal throne room so the ceremony may take place." Gabriel spoke in a voice of utmost authority and clarity. He relayed the message so smoothly and gracefully that anyone witnessing could tell that he was the boss's appointed messenger.

The door began to open ever so slowly, and a blinding light flooded in through the crack. A calming voice filled the entire hallway, and Drake's mind. "You may enter. Drake may not look upon me, for he has human eyes. Should he wish to be blinded for the rest of his life, he may look upon me."

"Close your eyes and bow your head until I say so." Said Seraphina, "I will lead you from here." Closing his eyes Drake took Seraphina's hand as she led him into the throne room.

[dracoboy8]

Upon being led into the throne room, Drake was filled with sensations and feelings he was not familiar with. Soft music was playing in the background, and a brilliant warmth was upon the entire room. A soft smell which Drake could not put his finger on lingered in his nostrils, a sweet smell almost like chocolate and flowers. The room was so bright that Drake saw bright orange through his closed eyes rather than black.

As Drake was drawn farther into the room, a new sound began to course its way through his ears. He kept hearing "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the world is full of His glory."

Upon hearing these voices Drake's entire body felt relaxed and in a peaceful like state. This was soothing to the extent of which Drake wanted to collapse onto the ground because his body was so relaxed. Something kept him up however, though he did not know what. When Seraphina stopped, so did Drake. Trumpets sounded off and Drake heard voices which seemed to number by the hundreds of thousands. All the voices shouted something in unison and though it was in a foreign language, Drake could tell it was praise. All the beings in the room were praising the Boss, and so did Drake. When all else fell silent, Drake continued to keep his eyes closed with his head bowed and awaited what was to come.

Drake heard Gabriel open his tube and pull out another message, saying "We are gathered today in the presence of the Boss, to witness a decision of His Majesty."

When Gabriel spoke all else fell silent, save the voices saying "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the world is full of His glory."

"Drake, Son of Matthew, has been recommended to become a part of The Ninefold Celestial Hierarchy. He now seeks admittance from the highest in existence, His Majesty."

It was a time before anything was said, but Drake waited patiently. After what felt like a very long time, Drake began to become nervous.

Oh no... What if He doesn't like me? Drake thought. As soon as he thought this a soothing voice, one like no other filled the room and minds of everyone in it. Everyone was silent, including the voices praising the Boss.

"Why do you worry, my child? My answer will come."

Drake waited and after what felt like a very long time. Then he heard the voice say, "You are yet a young angel, Drake." The voice calmed what little worries he had left. "Experience eludes you, and such is a necessity to be a part of The Ninefold Celestial Hierarchy."

"Tell me Boss, what must I do to gain the necessary experience?"

[dracoboy8]

"Drake, if you are to lead angels up against armies of demons you must be superior at fighting and defeating demons. You must learn and be able to use Angelic, as well as Demonic fighting lore." The Boss said, "To be in The Ninefold Celestial Hierarchy you must complete at least 5 quests which I deem worthy. You must also fight and defeat at least 4 demon commanders, and 3 demon lords."

Drake kept his eyes closed, and his head bowed, and listened very intently to what the Boss said.

"You must also bring a valuable skill to the organization, as talent alone is not sufficient. Along with all else you are very young. Please come back when you are much stronger, or you will not be considered."

"Thank you Boss, I will not let you down." Drake said.

[dracoboy8]

Drake sat on his bed and finished packing his tunic and sandals. He had changed into his normal clothing, and was eager to return to the world of Althanas to complete his tasks. He wanted to prove to the Boss that he was fit for the Hierarchy and would be able to lead armies of angels. He had no idea of where he would be taken, or what he would do, but he knew it was going to be tough.

As he finished packing, the door opened and 4 angels walked in towards Drake. Matthew, Gabriel, Seraphina, and another angel walked towards him and stopped when they reached him.

"Drake I would like you to meet my brother, Michael." Matthew said gesturing to the new angel.

He had glowing yellow eyes and a thin face which was long in proportionate to its width. He had curly dirty blonde hair which fell to his shoulders which were broad and muscular. He wore the same clothing the others wore, and the same katana sheath was on his belt as Matthew's. Two beautiful silver wings with black feather tips.

"If you are to join the Hierarchy, I can help." Michael said.

"As can I," Seraphina said.

"I can help too," Gabriel added.

"You might be able to learn a few things from me as well," Matthew said to Drake.

"And because we realized that, we have something for you," Seraphina said reaching into a pocket in her tunic.

She pulled out her hand and revealed a necklace with a bronze colored chain and a small beautiful bronze colored cross. She put the necklace on him and said, "This necklace is special because it is yours, and only yours. It is enchanted to never come off unless you want it to come off, and nobody else can touch it. If they try their hand will pass through it, so they can't hurt you with it. The only way others can touch it is if you want them to, and it will travel into your hand if you think of it and you aren't wearing it."

"And," Gabriel said, "if you ever need any of us just hold it and say our name. We will come as soon as we can."

"Thank you guys... I love you all so much," Drake said.

"We love you too Drake," Michael said as they all closed in for a hug. "But it's time for you to get going. There's a big world out there that needs help, and demons that need vanquished."

"My brother and I will accompany you to Althanas, but we must part ways there," Said Matthew.

Drake looked at Seraphina and she smiled. "I guess this is gooodbye for now," Drake said.

"I guess," Seraphina laughed. "Just call for me whenever you need to," she said with a smile.

"Will do," Drake said as he pulled her into a hug. "You will continue to train me right?"

"Yes," she said with a giggle, "goodbye Drake."

After bidding Gabriel farewell Matthew and Michael each took hold of one of Drake's arms.

"We are going to take you back to Althanas," Michael said. "On three we will pass to the astral plane. Since we are full angels we can take you with us in your physical body, but you must have contact with one of us. Hold on to your father the whole time."

"One, two, three."

Matthew, Michael, and Drake walked to the large golden staircase and descended. When they reached the bottom Matthew and Michael continued quite a ways with Drake and Michael began to give a lesson.

"Do you know how an angel's strength is measured Drake?" He asked.

"By how many demons he has defeated?" Drake answered hesitantly.

"No," Michael said, "an angel is not considered strong by how far he can fly, or how much he can lift, but how strong his heart is. True strength of heart can overcome anything." Matthew and Michael came to a halt.

"This is where we part ways, Drake." Matthew said, "On your journey you will be tested many times, and undergo many temptations. Stay true to yourself, and you will always know which path to take."

"Goodbye father, goodbye uncle." Drake said to the two angels.

"We do not say goodbye," Matthew started.

"We will see you soon enough." Michael finished.

And with that the two angels turned in separate directions and began walking away. Drake turned and observed his surroundings as he watched each angel go, and noticed that he was in farmland. Drake was in the center of a large road which stretched miles in each direction on flat land. The fog of the astral plane was thick, and obscured vision 5 feet into the fields, but the road was clear and he could see each angel when he turned to them.

As he watched his father go, the fog began to lift. The grey landscape began to gain color, and the area slowly became brighter. His father began to fade from the landscape as the world grew more bright and beautiful. His father finally faded out of existence and Drake found himself in a bright and sunny day in the middle of farm land. He turned into the field and started in a completely different direction than his father, or his uncle. His journey had just begun.

To be continued...


Requesting gold to be changed into EXP

[Philomel]

Son of Matthew: http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?27256-Son-of-Matthew (http://www.althanas.com/)
Judgment Type: Full Rubric
Participants: Ioder



Plot: 17/30

Story- 7/10

The storytelling itself is one of your greatest strengths in this piece. You manage to tie it not only into traditional beliefs but also give a new unique spin on it. One slight weakness is that it would have been nice to be more mention of Althanas itself, but overall very good here.

Setting- 6/10

Heaven is an unusual setting for Althanas threads, and it offers a new perspective. Also showing what you perceive what Heaven to be like is a good powerful indication of a good imagination. Drake and the other characters interact with it well, as the setting changes from the church to Heaven, though at the beginning it would have been nice to get more detail on the cathedral itself before leaping right into action.

Pacing- 4/10

Pacing here is one of your weaker points of writing. There is a slight tendency to rush the action and describe it all in one block of text within a paragraph and not let other features, such as characterisation or setting to have much way of view when the action of the piece comes into play. One way to get past this would be to build up your action, by adding small hints, of movement or scents, then have each action described individually. It would be more powerful rather than rushing into it as seen in the first post. You do slow down when the action transfers to Heaven, which is good, but still it is rushed with the revelation of Matthew being Drake's father.



Character: 16/30

Communication- 6/10

Communication is well done here. The different colours for the different angels speaking are unique and eye-catching, conveying the power of each archangel, though dimmer colours (Gabriel's here is very bright) could have been kinder on the eyes (such as Seraphina's). Drake has a good way of speaking which is consistent and kind, conveying his character well, and I like in the first post how the brigands hiss "like cats". One interesting thing to think about, however, is altering the style of speech for some characters, using variants of tone. It might build up the idea of each individual as individuals more.

Action-5/10

As far as action goes in relation to Drake it seems ordinary and pretty simple. There is the clear idea of awe related as he feels when it comes to meeting the archangels, and his normal reactions (post 2, "panic flooded Drake") though a weakness here is again to connected to pacing. It would have more impact if you really used the idea of the voices inside Drake's head as well as in his ears to your advantage, describing Drake's reactions and repeating the idea, giving a sense of continuation.

Persona- 5/10

Persona is fairly consistent in terms of Communication and Actions, however nothing develops in terms of action and Drake himself; he stills seems the same throughout, despite the fact he is in Heaven and given an opportunity beyond imagination. This is a weakness, whereas a strength is that you do show his in-depth personality of a quiet and loveable character.



Prose: 17/30

Mechanics- 4/10

Overall your mechanics is set out well and in usual form with set paragraphs, however there are several mistakes, leading to weaknesses in your writing. At points you miss out full stops ( . ) at the end of sentences and/or commas (all the way at end of dialogue in post 3). This is particularly weak at the end of speech, and simply a brief glance over at the end of writing would correct this. Also missing are capital letters within the start of some dialogue sentences. ( ""how come Seraphina's wings are white?""). No obvious spelling errors however, so well done!

Clarity- 7/10

Your posts do make sense, and there is no confusion over what you want to portray or say. Good points on this section for clear thought.

Technique- 6/10

Your technique is simple and good, however it would have been nice to see more adventurous forms of linguistic techniques. There are a few similies (post 5, "as light as a feather") however nothing else beyond this. As with your pacing try to stretch things out a little, become a little mad and try new things. A simple theasaurus could help here, as well as looking up ideas for imagery. Metaphor would really help in your style to portray the angels and their glory. Overall, however, it was a good read.



Wildcard: 5/10

A wildcard for the idea of the "boss". Really good portrayal of the relationship between God/Jesus and the archangels, especially in post 2 and 3.



Final Score: 54/100

Member Link (http://www.althanas.com/) receives:


810 EXP! **
50 GP!


** Plus discretion for a well-earned job. Gold lessened and more EXP given as requested.
Congratulations!

[Alyssa Snow]

Exp & gp added!