Heaven

Azrael flew over the clouds, letting her wings carry her home, but her mind could only go back to Lucifer and his pleading eyes. The scythe sighed on her back and heated to show comfort; Azrael pushed it down because there was no time to mourn. She needed an answer, and they were the only ones to give it to her. Moving higher into the skies, above mountain tops and valleys which swiped down. She watched angels on stairs ascending and descending, carrying messages to God. She flew over part ways where she saw soul carriers, grim reapers, and soul-catchers guiding souls home into the light through a part of the dark forest where demons sat and watched for an opportunity to steal a soul. 

Through this peaceful part, she came to a high mountain. Azrael landed at the foot of it before a great river. Her wings disappeared as she placed her feet into the raging river. And her pinstriped suit was taken from her body and replaced by a long gown made of pure light that felt like warmth and love. The angel stepped deeper into the river and the water parted, making it easy to walk towards the white pearly stairs. Stepping out of River's path, the stairs shone and a sense of home settled in her chest; a lump formed in her throat as she steps forward, only to be confronted by a deep voice.

"Are you friend or foe?" the voice asked as an angel appeared in full white armor. He stopped in his tracks as his eyes laid upon her. "Azrael?" he uttered, shocked at her appearance. 

"Hadraniel," she uttered the angel's name that stood before her. His hair was shining in ringlets of brown, his skin was tawny and his face caved by the hand of god, all sharp angles.

"Azrael…" he paused. "You have seen darkness and have dwelled with it" he looked to the west in concern "I cannot let you pass" his hand shook around his sword.

"I have to see him," Azrael emitted, "even if I have to walk through you," she grimed.

Hadraniel released his sword and pointed at her.

She lifted her scythe about to attack when a sword of light crashed between us, they looked up to find a man with six wings, hair of gold flowing against the bright sun behind him and he wore a suit of armor and a shield, his face was umber and shone with power.

His feet landed between Azrael and Hadraniel. "You cannot pass Azrael, you are not heaven bound, you have forsaken your duties," Micheal spoke in a voice that sounded like a great boom of thunder.

She looked up at the man before me. He was 9 ft tall. "Have you not seen what happened beneath the clouds?" she walked up to him. "I need to see him and you will not stand in my way," she presaged him, one of the beings she thought was her brother. 

"you dare to threaten me!" He shouted as she moved back, moving into a battled stance.

"Who said it was a threat?" she lifted her weapon out and swirled it between her fingers while she cocked her hip and handled the scythe like a spear.

Azrael watched the Archangel's face switch to horror as she smirked and moved toward him. He jumped out of fright and used his shield to protect himself but she hit it up and sliced it in half. She raised her weapon to attack once more but he stopped it with his sword of light, she twisted the scythe around the sword to grip it and threw it away; across the field. 

She turned to him as he fell to his knees "please" he whispered as she towered over him, she grabbed his armor and pulled him to face her.

"Stay out of my way" she hissed before swinging his body away.

Azrael looked to the river to find Hadraniel gone, she cussed and then made a run for the stairs leading up to heaven's gates. She took them five by five, gliding yet running up the stairs until a flame flew past her; she stopped to watch other flies pass her. She looked up to see Uriel in a robe of orange and gold with a flame lit on his hand. His eyes were shocked but they turned hard at the sight of her. Azrael stared at him when a loud horn went off which caused her to look up; in that one moment of hesitation, Uriel attacked her but she had put him flame out with a wave of her hand. 

"Azrael" he gasped for air, kneeling to the ground. The death angel moved closer, making his flame die as she walked past him "you have no flame" he called behind her, she turned and in a swift movement pushed him down the stairs.

Azrael Began her ascending again, leaping from the stairs to the next at full speed; thinking of what she would say to them. Combing her thoughts of seeing them again and what they might say to her, and how they would react. She came to the pearly gates where a long line stood, she ignored the souls, moving towards the front until she came to Peter. He stood with a clipboard in his hands, directing the redeemed to each golden part; his eyes caught Azrael's but she raised her hand, pointing scythe at the saint as he raised his hands and opened the gates.

Azrael ran down the golden roads as souls and angels moved between mansions which had different styles and personalities but Azrael didn't dwell on the beauty of the place. She was on a mission towards God's throne, it shone in the distance, surrounded by worshiping angels. She got to the foot of the stairs to see the twenty-four elders sitting at attention, the choir sang behind them in great chorus while the Tetramorph, the man, the lion, the ox, the eagle, who had their eyes close and shouted over the choir 'holy, holy, holy'; the place was alive with music, sound, and praise. Azrael walked past them, they didn't stop or even noticed her.

She moved up the ivory-colored stairs where worshipers kneel before the throne. She walked higher up until she came to the massive ivory throne but it was empty. Azrael looked around her towards the choir and the elders and the Tetramorph and the worshipers but they continued their praise. There stood a door under the throne and Azrael walked into it, it was a greenhouse with endless rolls of flowers, plants, trees, and fountains. She roamed the pebble stone pathways until she saw them with their back toward her:

"It's been a long time, my child" their voices boomed and echoed through the greenhouse "and just in time" they mumbled to themselves before turning to the woman "Welcome home… Azrael".....