Chapter two

It is been two days since Jegudiel met with the Father and three days to the bet night, he hasn't been himself, though he has been carrying out his duties diligently, his heart has been in it. Feeling so restless that his quarters became stifling he decided to take a spin outside and free his mind. He was traversing the white corridors leading outside his mansion when he encountered Phanuel the archangel of judgment.

"Where are you off to?" Phanuel asked his fellow archangel as he saw him hurrying down the hallway.

"Just need to clear my head, " Jegudiel muttered turning to leave. He didn't want to linger because it was feeling like the walls are closing in on him, that it almost feels like he can't breathe.

Phanuel's look of curiosity changed to that of concern as he regarded his fellow archangel. Over the decades, he has been noticing some changes in his older brother's attitude, the sparkle that usually glows in his eyes has deemed and his bearing, one of someone just getting by. He no longer exhibits his usual enthusiasm while carrying out his duties. And he had been one of the most hard-working angels of God's creation.

"Are you alright?" Phanuel asked worry for his fellow angel obvious in his tone.

"Is nothing," Jegudiel deflected before turning to walk away.

"You know I am willing to listen if you need to talk," Phanuel whispered to his brothers back, knowing with their acute sense of hearing that he will be to pick it up. Most of the times the angels feel that they have to do it alone, seeing it as some kind of failure if they complain to the Father or voices out if they have some difficulties, they believe it to be just human attributes and since the humans are seen as weakest of God's creation displaying any of their qualities will make you seem weak and as a result the angel's shoulder all their troubles alone scared of being seen as weak. Which is what he assumes Jegudiel is going through now. Though he suspects his to be as a result of the loss of bets that has been going on between them and their fallen brothers.

The bet started as a challenge Lucifer, the first archangel, and the leader of the fallen, the emperor of hell, issued to the Creator in the 6th century BCE. Lucifer aggrieved for losing the bet on one of the humans named Job whom God permitted him to tempt and the human came out victorious, Lucifer had thrown a bet to the Creator saying that at the end of that year if humans were able to stick to their new year resolution that the righteous will claim victory and if not that they win and will be allowed to roam freely on earth.

The Creator pleased by the recent victory won by his side, and the human giving him hope in the human race accepted the challenge. That year they won to the pleasure and excitement of the righteous. The second round of failure was a slight to Lucifer, but he wasn't giving up so he issued another challenge and lost again, still he persisted.

Seeing that the leader of the fallen was not going to give up till he had a victory, the Creator decided to make it a yearly event choosing two people from both sides to represent each side. And also instead of the whole human race, as the pool of target, a selected number of individuals were now chosen and their success evaluated at the eleventh month of the year.

The kingdom of the righteous has been winning since the beginning of the bet till the science ages, when the human race started looking for other interpretations for their existence shifting away from their focus from the creator to the created allowing their minds open to distractions creating vices that lured them away from the creator. The losses accumulated by their side had dealt a blow to the angel representing them, as some of the angels view it as his fault.

Jegudiel heard what his brother had muttered but he knew he wasn't going to heed it. He was already being perceived as someone weak among his fellow angels especially the lower ranking ones, who he could feel gawking at him as he passed the activity hall. Which is where the angels pick up their assignments.

Jegudiel ignored them and made his way to the outside, where everything was cool and serene, the silence soothing his soul, but he wasn't satisfied with remaining within the realms of his kingdom, he wanted to be outside, free from the shadows of the other angels who he could see throwing him looks as they came and went.

Jegudiel walked past the seventh gate making his way through the soft foamy pathway that leads to the rest of the gates separating heaven from the clouds. When he got to the last gate, he allowed his wings to unclip, releasing massive golden-colored wings glittering from the brightness of the day. In his kingdom there exits no night nor day, only the Creators lights illuminating all corners of the kingdom.

Flapping his massive wings he soared through the sky till he re-entered the earth realm, where he could see the humans moving about with their activities, all in the festive mood wearing their red hats and shoes all round, with their houses and shops, including their place of worship all lit with shinny lights blinking different colors, and decorated green trees with the same shinny lights standing in front of some of the buildings.

Among all the humans in the line of his observation one caught his interest.

It was a young woman, who just came out of a shop bearing in her hand so many bags, from what he learned from observing the humans, the woman seems to have gone shopping, but what intrigued him was the number of bottles contained in two of the bags, I think the humans refers to it as beer, and the expression on the woman's face can only be described as sadness. Her eyes were ridden with pain, that the angel felt sorry for her and had this urge to help her even though is not one of his duties.

He watched the woman walk past so many cars before reaching a black vehicle which she opened the back dropping the contents in her hand at the back seat.

The woman sat in the driver's seat a lost expression on her face as she gazed out her windscreen.

Jeudi wondered at what could have caused such a look in one so beautiful. The woman looks very beautiful in the human standard even if her white hair looks to be in disarray as they were barely being held together by the headband Jegudiel can see at the back of her head.

The woman sat there for a few minutes not doing anything only gazing out of the window with the expression of someone tired of leaving. Jeudi watched her reach the back where she picked one of the bottles and drank like she was drinking water. When she was done with that she picked another and did the same to it. she was drinking like someone who wishes to drink away her sorrows.

Jegudiel knew the catastrophe that can be brought by the poison the woman was drinking into her system and he wishes she will stop. Drawing closer till he was almost at the woman's ears he whispered for her to stop, trying to tell her that the solution to her problems does not lie in the bottles, but the woman couldn't hear him, or her psychic hearing have been shut off by whatever problem that is troubling her soul.

Loud mocking laughter rang out behind him, drawing his attention from the woman who has taken yet another bottle. Without needing to turn Jegudiel was aware of who was behind him.

"What are you doing here, Asmodeus?" Jegudiel asked the demon, his annoyance at the demon's unwanted presence clear in his voice.

Asmodeus's face broke out into a wide grin hearing the archangel's irritation at him. He has always enjoyed rattling his opponent up at any chance he gets and has never given up any opportunity to rub his past victories in his face, like now.

Advancing so that he was beside the angel, he spoke.

"I think my past victories had ensured me the rights to roam anywhere I choose in this world," he said in a taunting voice and smiled victoriously when he saw the other angel's mouth tighten in anger before it dispersed to one of serenity causing Asmodeus to sigh in disappointment. He has tried severally to reel the other angel into losing his temper and every time he thinks he has succeeded, the angel brings himself back to control.

Jegudiel was aware of what the other angel was playing at, and as much as it will please him to put the arrogant demon in his place, Jegudiel will not be tempted into the sin of anger, and so has chosen to ignore the demon and hopefully, he will leave if he didn't rise to his bait.

"Mmm another human falling prey to the vices, " Asmodeus taunted with loud mocking laughter as he watched the woman drinking in her car. "The humans and their weak minds assure me of another victory in our upcoming bet," he mocked casting a side glance to the angel beside him.

jegudiel ignored him and rather followed the woman who had decided to leave after consuming two of those bottles.

As she drove, jegudiel could see tears running down her cheeks as her sadness poured out her in waves. Her sorrow struck a cord in jegudiel heart that he decided to watch over her till she makes it home, but there was only one problem. The aggravating demon refuses to leave his side and had decided to come along as he soared with him, in his dark massive wings.

They followed the woman till they were up to a bridge when suddenly the woman swayed of course almost hitting the vehicle coming opposite her and in her bid to avoid the collision she veered towards the bridge, and Jegudiel reacted quickly saving the woman from running off the bridge. But the pestering demon was not having any of this as he nudged the car hanging in balance to veer towards the bridge.

Jegudiel immediately pushed the demon back righting the car to safety. As the demon tried to push the vehicle over the bridge, he reacted by striking the demon with lightning which the demons blocked with his power, causing flashes of bright pale blue light to lit the sky as the two powers met each other.

Asmodeus threw an evil smirk at the angel as his eyes glowed with excitement, the human forgotten. He wasn't interested in her, to begin with, in his mind, she is already a lost soul, not someone he should be bothered with. Now a fight with Jegudiel is something he will always be interested in. He threw a black smoke-filled power in the angel's direction which he encountered with his lightning and on and on they threw powers at each other.

jegudiel was not in the mood to thread powers with the demons but he needed to keep his attention from the woman till someone comes and saves her. Jegudiel raised his hand and his heavenly sword appeared in his hand glittering with fire which he used to fight against the black blade of the demons.

Jegudiel continued to engage Asmodeus in a fight till the distant sound of an approaching siren reached his ear, help was on the way. Jegudiel focused all his attention on the demon who has mischief glittering in those red orbs. he wouldn't put it past the demon to pull something.

From his side glance, Jegudiel noticed the cops arrive and help the woman of the car before putting her in an ambulance and taking her away. Sure that the woman will be safe now and already tired of playing with the demon, Jegudiel struck him towards his left arm causing the skin to erupt in Flames before he disappeared with Asmodeus scream of rage ringing after him.