FicWad

A/N: Heya guys! I’m so glad I’m finally finished with, You Only Live Forever In The Lights You Make. It's nice to take a break from the Killjoy world. I'm happy it's winter break so I can finally work on this story! I’m sooooo excited for it! I'm really starting to like this idea. Please read this chapter to the end. It gets better!! :DD

I hope I didn’t put your characters to shame!


Prologue: The Masquerade


The year was 1863. It was Christmas Eve to be exact. Lord Azrael was one of the wealthiest and well known lords of his time, he also just so happened to be holding a Christmas Masquerade Ball. All the wealthiest people in the kingdom were invited, along with some of his closest friends. The guest list was lengthy, Lord Azrael was always known for his balls and parties.

This one was no exception.


Most of the guests had arrived early; the women looked stunning, the men dashing. Lord Azrael’s house beat them all though.

He owned a big stone mansion; the front doors were double doors. They were made out of cherry oak with elaborate designs on them strung from gold itself. He had heavy knockers on each door; a gargoyle’s head on top of them. The house itself was perfectly symmetrical. On each side was a magnificent tower. Beautiful glass bay windows lined each one. Surrounding this magnificent house was a garden that seemed to go on for miles.

Lord Azrael was a strange man. Everybody loved him, but nobody really knew him. He had only been in the town for around seven years. Lord Azrael was very handsome, but in an almost immortal sort of way. He had skin as pale as snow, on most people this would make them look ill, but on Lord Azrael it made him look more intriguing. He had long, thin fingers and a fit, lean body. His hair was the color of gold; it was down to his waist and always pulled back by a simple, green ribbon. His eyes were charming, seductive almost. They were coal black, a red ring lingering around them. They were a striking feature against his skin.

He was the man everyone feared, and yet the man everyone loved. Something was very off about him and his house, but no one knew what. That is, until tonight.

oOoOoOo

Among one of the first guest to arrive was another wealthy lord from across the region. His name was Lord Way. He and his older brother were both very wealthy families in the kingdom, and friends of Lord Azrael.

Lord Way arrived with his mistress, Lady Cowl. She was a foreigner. She was a pretty, petite girl with tan skin, she had brown eyes and hair as black as night. She made a striking contrast next to her handsome date.

Lord Way was dressed in his best pair of boots, a pair of tight, black trousers, a crisp white shirt with a ruffle collar, and a sleek, black waistcoat. Over that he had on a long, rich red coat with golden embellishments. His light brown hair was slicked back stylistically with a few stray strands hanging in his face, making him look even more handsome.

Next to him, his mistress wore a red and gold ball gown to match her date. It had a heart shaped neckline and long, billowing sleeves. Her bodice had golden embellishments. Her skirts swished as she walked, her boots clicking on the stone floor. On her neck was a plain, golden heart shaped locket. A family heirloom most assumed. In her hand she had a simple black mask masquerade mask. It was made of fabric and had lace around the edges. In the upper corner sat a red rose.

As the Lord and Lady entered his house, they gaped.

In the entranceway Lord Azrael’s house had big, tall stone pillars. Now they were strung with beautiful strands of crystalline beads, turning all the colors of the rainbow as the light of the torches burned down on them. On each table Lord Azrael had set out a lovely arrangement of winter flowers. He had holly wreaths up and mistletoes. As they guests entered the ballroom, they found themselves standing on marble floor, intricate details worked into it. The room was very spacious, the roof was hundreds of feet above their heads, soaring glass windows were on each side of the room, giving it an even more open feeling.

Lord Azrael could be found in the main room, checking on things and greeting guests. This was strange of a Lord, but Lord Azrael himself was strange.

The next guests to arrive were Lord Bryar and his wife, Linnea. Lord Bryar was a tall, built man. He was taller than most men and has fair skin. His hair was a straw yellow, his eyes a piercing blue that seemed to look straight into your soul.

Tonight, he had on simple gray pants with black boots. Up top he wore a dashing black, loose, shirt and a silver vest over it. Over that he had a heavy, fitted jacked on with exaggerated sleeves. His family crest too showed on his chest. His hair was down and messy, but still appropriate for the occasion.

His wife Linnea had on a striking silver dress to match not only her husband, but also her eyes. Her eyes were as gray as the sky on a rainy day. Her dress cascaded into ruffles at the bottom; she had black bracelets and necklaces on. Linnea also donned a pair of slim wire rimmed glasses on her pale face, framing her eyes perfectly.

As the couple entered Lord Azrael’s house, the next guests arrived. They were Lord Iero and his mistress, Lady Long. Lady Long was also a foreigner, just like Lady Cowl. Lady Long was a petite woman. She had tan skin, hair as black as night, and brown, slanted eyes. She made the perfect match for her lover.

Tonight, Lord Iero was dressed in black, tight pants with heavily laced black boots over them. He wore a standard white blouse with ruffles around the neckline and sleeves. He had a smart, black overcoat over it. His hair was chin length and a warm, chocolaty brown color. Tonight he had a black hat over it with a simple white feather sticking out of it.

His mistress, Lady Long had a striking blood red dress on. The neckline was V shaped, dipping off of her shoulders, her choppy layered hair laying neatly on them. The sleeves were only a few inches long. The dress was trimmed in black. Her corset was also black with strings zig-zagging across it. The bottom of her dress was gathered on one side, bunching up to reveal a sheer black fabric underneath the red. On her hands she wore long, black gloves. Over then she wore a simple diamond bracelet, matching ones were in her necklace and earrings. She had black boots on as well. Her mask was simple. It was black mask that covered her eyes and turned upwards at the edges with silver designs on it.

As the pair exchanged a few words with their host, the next of our guests arrived. It was the famous musician, Ryan DeRoss and his wife, Evangeline. Ryan DeRoss was one of the most wanted musician’s in the land. He was hired by Lord Azrael and was paid handsomely for it. He wore a simple outfit, black loose pants with blue boots over them, a blue shirt, and then a black vest over it. He had a cape draped over his left shoulder as well. A small hat was perched above his head, contrasting perfectly against his dark brown hair.

Ryan DeRoss’s wife was dressed in a royal blue dress to match her husband. Her dress had a corset top with a long, flowing skirt with a train. She wore a small hat on her head, a veil trailing behind her head, complimenting her short feathery hair. She had a lighter blue mask on her face, framing it to perfection. The various shades of blue only brought out her piercing eyes even more.

After they calmly greeted the small crowd they went inside. The couple took a few moments to take in the scenery, and then they entered the main ballroom. Evangeline found herself a spot near the stage to sit while her husband set all his instruments up.

As they did this more guests arrived, some more lords and ladies, political figures, friends, dukes and barons.

The next guests to arrive were Lord Way and Lady Price. This Lord Way was Gerard, the eldest brother of the other one. There was a striking difference between the two brothers. Though Michael, the younger of the Way’s, had a head’s length on Gerard, Gerard was more mature in looks. Michael had light brown hair that ended above his ears while Gerard had raven black hair that ended right above his shoulders. His skin was as pale as snow, almost mirroring Lord Azrael’s. Michael had a tanner skin tone. They only thing the men shared were their eyes. They both had enchanting hazel eyes.

Tonight, Lord Way was dressed in an outfit very similar to his brothers. They both wore red and gold.

Lady Price was dressed in a gold dress. The neckline plunged dangerously into a V shape, her sleeves extending to her elbows. The bodice of her dress was decorated with threaded designs. The bottom half of her dress was plain and went to the floor. She had shorter white gloves on and matching shoes. Her short black hair was flaring out around her head. On her neck she wore a single, red gem.

They greeted Lord Azrael warmly, and then went inside to try to find the younger Lord Way. As they went inside, more guests arrived. The place was almost full and it was only a quarter of an hour after the party was supposed to start.

Arriving later than most guests, Lord Toro arrived with his wife, Lady Sayge. Lord Toro had on grey pants with his standard boots; a brown belt strung around his waist, over that he had on a white shirt with a golden, long, jacket. The jacket hung longer in the back than the front. His brown hair was a curly mess atop his head. His brown eyes were warm and friendly, sparkling in the torchlight.

His wife, Lady Sayge, emitted the same friendly glow. She had on an golden dress to match her husband. The neckline sloped off both her shoulders, dipping in the back. Her sleeves were long and almost touched the floor. Her bodice had golden thread designs. The waistline of her bodice was V-shaped, her dress flaring out underneath it. Her skirt was full of gathered ruffles. She had an orange lily tucked stylistically in her long, black hair. Her green eyes stood out against the orange.

Lord Toro rushed up to Lord Azrael in excitement, they were good friends. As they talked, the last guests to arrive were another musician and his wife. He was not playing tonight, but he was an old friend of Lord Azrael’s. The man’s name was Brian Manson. He preferred to go by Marilyn though. Something was always off about him and his wife, Fae. It was rumored that she meddled in the dark arts, but one could never trust rumors. Still, the townspeople didn’t speak to her often.

“Marilyn” Manson was a tall man, standing around the height of a doorway. He had deathly pale skin and jet black hair. It was parted on the side so that one side hung down over his eye. His hair hung a few inches above his shoulders. His eyes were his most striking feature; one was ice blue while the other was a light brown. Tonight, he had on black pants with heavy, black boots. He had a black shirt on as well with a deep purple coat on over it. It hung longer in the back than the front, the sleeves hugging his arms nicely. On his wrists he had big, silver cuffs. Each one had a bat on it. On his head he wore a simple, black top hat.

His wife, Fae, was dressed in a dark purple dress to match her husband. Black lace trimmed the neck line and stuck out the bottom of the dress. Her sleeves stopped at her shoulders. She also wore black lace gloves and black boots. On her wrist she had silver bracelets matching her husband. She wore a matching chocker as well. Her mask was black and shaped like bat wings. It only covered her eyes and a little of her nose. Through her mask her blue eyes gazed around calmly, taunting anyone who looked at them too long. Her long, wavy blonde hair was put in a braid for tonight and hung neatly over her right shoulder.

As Marilyn and his wife entered the room a hush seemed to descend upon it, all eyes turned to stare. The couple wasn’t that popular around the town, but since Lord Azrael like them, everyone else just had to deal with it.

oOoOoOo

Towards the later hours of the night, the party really started to heat up. Ryan Ross was playing to his heart’s content; he had even managed to get Marilyn Manson to play a song or two with him. All the guests watched merrily, even Fae had a smile on her face.

Both of the Lord Ways and their Lady’s were sitting with each other, along with their longtime friend Lord Iero and his mistress.

Up in the front of the room, closest to the entertainment, Lord Bryar was seen in deep conversation with Lord Azrael about something, Lord Bryar’s wife was sitting with Sir Toro and his, chatting animatedly.

Linnea was starting to get concerned about her husband; he had been in deep thought with Lord Azrael for the past half hour. She knew something was wrong. She brought it up with Lady Sayge.

“You’re just being paranoid!” Lady Sayge assured Linnea.

“I’m serious Kaelee,” Linnea said, “Something is not right,” she looked around, the moon’s light was pouring into the copious amounts of windows in Lord Azrael’s mansion, “Something’s going to happen tonight.”

Just then the small string quintet that Lord Azrael hired started playing. They were dressed in all black with white gloves and masks covering their faces completely. They started on a discordant note, gaining everyone’s attention. Then the cello started with a sad mournful solo. The other instruments slowly came in, one by one. Everyone was entranced by the song, hypnotized almost.

The clock chimed. It was midnight. The more the clocked chimed, the faster the quintet played. Lord Azrael was sitting back in his chair, a devious smile on his face. If anyone had bothered to look at him, maybe they would have noticed. Maybe someone would have caught on. Maybe someone could have stopped it, but it was already too late.

As the clock rang out its last chime, a bolt thunder shot down from the sky, guests jumped in their seats, startled. Lord Azrael still wore his smirk. The quintet played even faster, their delicate hands gliding over the strings with ease, playing as if all was well. The guests were becoming antsy, the music doing nothing to calm their nerves.

It was dark out, the clouds blocking the moon and stars. Rain pelted the big glass windows as lighting hailed down. A bolt struck near the house, the guests started to flee. Men grabbing their wives, people knocking over tables, the sound of wine glasses shattering could be heard all around. The electricity in the mansion suddenly went off.

Lord Azrael calmly stood and made his way over to the window, the quintet still playing. All of the guest were fleeing, all but seven: Lady Cowl, Linnea, Lady Long, Evangeline, Lady Price, Kaelee, and Lady Sayge. As the seven women stood up, panicked but still calm, their husbands urged them out of the mansion. The women refused. Outside you could see people making mad dashes towards their carriages, all the fancy decorations were astray.

Lord Azrael’s face was illuminated by the lightening. His features had taken a demonic turn. The seven women and their husbands watched in awe as he transformed. His features grew longer. His cheek bones became more defined, his chin growing longer. His ears grew as well; they had almost an elfish appearance. His eyes turned red, the color slowly consuming all of his pupils from the outside in, the veins in the whites of his eyes becoming more prominent. His teeth grew sharp, each one becoming its own dagger. His body even transformed. His fingers grew bigger, his nails sharper, as his limbs grew longer his clothing tore and shred. From his back a pair of long, big, jet black wings sprouted. They had to be as long as three horses when spread fully. At the end of each was a sharp hook. When the light caught them you could see each vein coursing through them, the bones jutting out. They were beautiful, but at the same time repulsive. The remnants of feathers clung to them.

As the men started backing up, their eyes wide with fear, the women started advancing towards him.

“No Azrael, not tonight!” Fae shouted at him.

“You said you would wait!” Lady Long shouted at him, a hurt tone in her voice.

Lord Azrael shrugged, “I lied,” he smiled evily, “There is a reason I was kicked out of heaven you know.”

“But not tonight,” Lady Price protested.

Azrael turned his red eyes on her, his pupils contracted, he turned his mouth into a twisted smile, “Why, my dear, would I listen to an angel?”

Behind them her husband gasped.

“A-angel? What does that….thing mean?” Lord Way said in disbelief.

Lord Azrael laughed a deep, throaty laugh, it was loud and booming, bouncing off the walls, “You haven’t told them?” he said, amused.

“We never thought it would come to this,” Kaelee said quietly.

The husbands looked around, obviously confused.

Azrael turned his red eyes on the men, his gaze making then cringe, “You see, there is a reason I held you men close to me. Your wives, whether they told you or not, are very special. They are part of a special organization. You wouldn’t know anything about it though, being mortal. Your wives are angels and demons. They came together under God to try and restore order to this world. There are plenty of others who are in this organization, but your wives are in charge of them. As you can probably tell from my appearance,” he gestured to himself, “I’m no angel. I was cast out by God, left to roam the earth alone, forever stuck in Purgatory.”

“A fallen angel?” Marilyn said/asked, intrigued.

Azrael turned his eyes on the man, “Yes. You probably know of my brother better, Gabriel.”

“Of course!” Ryan exclaimed, “Azrael, you’re the angel of death. You cross people over to Heaven or Hell!”

“Yes,” Azrael said bitterly, “I used too, as of late I was sending more people to Hell than Heaven. Something was wrong. Over the past century, one of my brothers,” he said the turn with spite, “has gotten even more restless. His name is Lucifer. You better know him as Satan. He has unleashed his demons on the world, he’s trying to reclaim it. I was cast out of the golden gates by God himself. He suspected I had something to do with Lucifer’s new found strength, he suspected I was sending more and more people to Hell for his benefit, of course that’s a lie. He told me that he wanted me to stay here, on earth and try to do something. He made me a fallen angel, promising my return if I could fix all this somehow.”

“How do our wives fit into this?” the younger Lord Way asked.

“Your wives are either an angel or demon; they left their positions to help me. Not all demons are bad, and not all angels are good. Tonight was no party, it was a calling. It’s Christmas Eve, the rebirth of Christ is tomorrow, when Lucifer’s at his weakest. Tonight on the other hand, he is strongest. Tonight he was planning on calling together people, like a party you could say, he was planning on killing everyone to make them demons he could use against God. He entrusted me to host. You see, after I was cast out of Heaven, I went to my brother. As a cover I told him I would help him. That I was cast out because my loyalty lay with him.

Any minute now, he should be arriving so…unless you want your husbands to die, I suggest you cast them far from this place,” Azrael said, looking at them.

The wives looked at their husbands, tears in their eyes. The husbands embraced their wives. They held onto each other one last time.

Evangeline hissed, drawing back from her husband, “He’s approaching,” she said. Large white wings sprouted from her back, unfolding from the cleverly hidden folds of her dress.

“Go, NOW!” Lady Sayge shouted at the men. Without hesitation they ran as far as their feet would carry them away from the cursed grounds, never to return.

The seven women stood there, ready for anything. One by one they unfolded their wings. The angel’s wings were long, twenty four feet in total. They varied from shades or light tan to pure white.

The demons sprouted whip-like tails, sharp barbs protruding from the ends. Their wings were much similar to Azrael’s, only around fifteen feet from the tip of one to the tip of the other. The shades were various, from black, to ones tinted green or red.

They waited patiently, just then, the glass windows around them shattered, spraying all of them with fragments glass. They covered their faces with their arms, using their wings to cloak themselves. Thunder boomed from the distance, a menacing laugh surrounded them. With a flash of lightening, He appeared, Lucifer. He looked like something out of a nightmare.

“Where are my minions?!” His voice boomed, bouncing off the walls. They all covered their ears.

“I’m sorry Lucifer, but I couldn’t let you. Not my friends and family,” Azrael said calmly.

“You let me down,” Lucifer said with a shake of his head, “Growing soft on me?”

“I was never with you,” Azrael spat back defiantly, a glow emitting from him, “I only ever serve The Lord.”

Lucifer’s eyes flared, from his hands balls of fire sparked to life. Around him chandeliers crashed to the ground, table cloths caught on fire, chaos wreaked havoc. Azrael’s beautiful palace was crumbling.

“How dare you say that,” Lucifer said quietly in a deep rumbling voice. He raised his hands to attack Azrael.

Just then Azrael reached inside his jacket and pulled out a brass stick. In seconds it materialized into a long staff. It was adorned with jewels and at the top a holy cross sat. He slowly started walking towards Lucifer, avoiding the broken glass and fiery remains around him, his staff shone brightly, lighting up the dark room.

Lucifer threw up his hands and sent wave after wave of fire at them, the seven women ducked behind their wings, throwing shields up around them. Azrael banged his staff on the ground three times, mumbling ancient Latin prayers. His staff shone brighter, enveloping them in a dome of light, Lucifer’s attacks started weakening. With one final phrase, Azrael opened his eyes, light pouring out of them, Lucifer sent out a terrible roar, his shadow minions disappearing around him.

A light as bright as heaven itself engulfed the room, the women shielding their eyes. As soon as it began, it was over. The light diminished, revealing the ballroom once again. It was dark still, glass and fiery debris laying everywhere, but the storm outside had settled, the sky was starting to clear up exposing the stars.

“Is it over?” Lady Long asked hesitantly, standing up from her crouched position on the floor. She dusted off her dress, her boots crunching in the broken glass.

“For now,” Linnea said, her voice shaking, as were her limbs.

A/N: So, what’d you think? Love it, hate it? I’d really appreciate if you’d take time to rate and review. Thanks!

Spoiler alert: The next chapter will take place in the present day, just in case the 1800’s didn’t appeal to you lol.

-Alex