The Guardian Angel (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #1)

Chapter 23: Lilith's Exile

After some time, I descended at the river again and had a talk with Lilith. I warned her not to get too attached to the wolf as its time would come sooner than hers. The outcomes were even graver than I feared - Lilith fell into a deep depression and begged me to let Zeev live longer than other wolves. She wouldn't listen to my reasons and got more and more attached to the animal. When finally it got old and its time came, I descended in the Garden of Eden to take him. Lilith already knew that Zeev had no soul and thus would return to earth while she was destined to return to the High Forces when her time came. When she pictured that she and Zeev were going to get separated, she grew sad and angry, accused the High Forces in injustice, fell under terrible wrath and insulted both me and her companion and kin, Adam. I got frightened by her such a burst of rage. I explained to her that as the circle of life is eternal, Zeev would not be lost, but would return in another form of nature - as grass or a plant. Once she heard this, Lilith calmed down, realised her mistake, and apologized to both me and Adam. We both forgave her, however, who knew that the High Forces would stay disappointed... On that very day, my younger brother, Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of heavens, approached me and declared:

"Brother Samael, the High Forces have called upon a meeting. They expect you to be there too".

I got a bad feeling about that news. Still, as the High Forces' word was absolute, I promised to attend.

At the meeting, there were all the angels and archangels. I joined the archangels' rows and stood beside my twin brother Michael. The High Forces appeared to us in the form of a giant light energy sphere, as usual. They declared that due to Lilith proclaiming their laws to be unjust, thus betraying the rules of the world, she was deemed a sinner. After all, she had given in to one of the seven deadliest sins for humans - the wrath. Moreover, she had insulted me, one of the highest archangels - Samael, and her own husband - Adam, in time of her wrath. Thus, she was to be banished from the Garden of Eden and her soul was doomed to suffer in the underworld after her time in this world passed, as the High Forces could see her soul was dirtied and could no more rejoin the light energy. 

I got shocked by this statement. I told them that if Lilith gave in to her feelings, neither Adam was stable - I had myself seen through their unstable nature. I asked them to give her a second chance as I had already forgiven her. After all, she had realised her mistake and apologized.

The High Forces did not agree, as all the angels. They said once the soul was dirtied, it could no more be purified. As Lilith gave in to her feelings, she would do so afterwards as well, so she was not to be trusted. 

I tried my best to convince them otherwise, but they did not listen. On that day, Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of heavens, flew down into the Garden of Eden and informed Adam and Lilith about the High Forces' and the angel council's decision:

"Lilith, the first female human of the world, the resident of the Garden of Eden, is proven guilty of the following crimes: submission to her earthly feelings, thus losing her inner balance; forming a bond with a low-level creature and earthly kind; giving in to her wrath, one of the seven deadly sins; insulting High Archangel, Lord of Destruction and Death, Holy Samael; insulting her own husband, her own kind, her very own companion, first male human of the world, resident of the Garden of Eden, Adam; and, above all, accusing the great laws of the High Forces, the light core of this world, to be unjust. For all these said crimes, Lilith is sentenced to exile from the Garden of Eden, to live on planet Earth like creatures of Nature. Furthermore, as a result of dirtying her soul with her sins, her path to the High Forces' light core is cut off for eternity, and she is doomed to descend in the underworld and lead there the rest of her life, after her time in this world passes. This is the decision taken by the High Forces and approved by all of the angels, save for one," he then glanced down at Lilith, "Lilith, you are ordered to immediately leave the Garden of Eden".

Lilith was wonderstruck - leave the Garden of Eden and go down to Earth? Doomed to rot in the underworld after her death?! Shudders ran down her spine. I watched from up the clouds how her serene brown eyes reddened up with tears. She let out a dreaded yell and fell to her knees in front of my brother Gabriel, begging for mercy:

"I... I didn't mean! It was a mistake! Don't doom me to eternal torment, I beg you!"

I could notice Gabriel's sigh, however, I knew he had no pity for her as he considered her a sinner like all other angels did. Lilith grabbed her husband's, Adam's, arm, and exclaimed:

"Adam, help me!"

"Sorry, Lilith..." Adam took his hand off her and stepped back. He too thought she was disgraced and thus fallen below his level. He completely obeyed the High Forces' orders. Lilith gasped, apparently thinking her own husband had also betrayed her. She hung her head and wept miserably. 

"Lilith, it is time to leave," Gabriel reminded her.

She sobbed, slowly stood on her soft legs, and glanced up at Gabriel. Her eyes were full of hot tears:

"Holy Gabriel, please just tell me one thing..."

"Ask".

"You said all the angels agreed upon my sentence of exile, save for one. Who... Who was that one who objected?"

"It was Samael".

Hearing it was me - the exact one whom she had insulted earlier, Lilith gasped in astonishment and almost fell back. She hung her head again, tears falling down her cheeks. She gave her hand to Gabriel. This latter swung his white wings and flew off the Garden of Eden, taking the sinner down to the Earth. I watched them from up high, and my heart grew heavier as I remembered Lilith's shimmering brown eyes widened in astonishment when she heard I was the only one who didn't wish her to be banished. Apparently, she awaited anyone but me to do it - after all, why would an angel of destruction and death ever care about some human's exile? But I clearly felt that with the absence of that little woman's serene smile down at the river, the Garden of Eden suddenly turned sort of... empty...

At least for me.