Defiant Destiny Ch. 01

With hands shaking from adrenaline, I opened the door for Alexis. When he saw me, the wide grin on his face instantly withered and his brow scrunched into a concerned frown.

"Are you alright?" he asked me immediately.

I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah, uhm, it seems my ability is getting stronger," I mumbled. "I knew it was you before I opened the door. I could ...uhm ...somehow feel your aura," I confessed, curiously glancing at him to see his reaction.

The grin I grew accustomed to seeing in the short time I've known him returned in full force, widening and warming his face. He raised his eyebrows and gave me a look that was dripping with an I told you so-vibe. Shaking his head in joyous disbelief he clasped my shoulder and led me indoors, closing the door behind us with a loud thump.

"How about you give me a tour of the place before we delve into your destiny shall we?" he added with a wink as he took a look around, eyeing the place like only a realtor could.

"Sure..." I mumbled somewhat absentmindedly. "Come on in."

Alexis whistled.

"Phew, this is a mighty big place you have here!" he commented while he walked around, leisurely exploring the building. Looking at the construction work for a bar at the back wall he commented, "Excellent place for a bar, nice and central." Glancing up he saw the balcony that was protruding above the bar, overlooking the factory floor and only accessible from my private quarters. "Your touch?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied with a small smile. "I liked the idea to watch over the people and make sure they're having a good time."

With an approving nod he continued looking around. Alexis strolled over to the right side of the building where the beginning of booths were seen amidst the construction work.

"Booths?" he guessed correctly. "Ones that can be made private, I hope," he added, smirking yet again.

"You old dog..." I laughed. "Yes, I'm going to have some nice thick curtains installed so people can fuck each other in there if they so desired," I stated bluntly, enjoying seeing Alexis's corresponding grin getting even bigger. No doubt he was already imagining himself and Layla in one of those booths.

Alexis pointed to the stairs and walked towards them.

"You'll have your own quarters and office up there I take it? Mind if I take a look up here too?" he asked politely.

"Sure, no problem," I replied and joined him upstairs to continue the tour. "It's not soundproofed yet, but that'll happen soon so I can actually live and work up there in peace once the club opens."

After having approved the upstairs rooms and providing me with a few useful suggestions, Alexis wistfully commented, "I was really interested in buying this place from the city council at the time... But," he added lightheartedly. "I do like what you're turning this place into. It looks promising."

We concluded our tour in my living area and I gestured towards the couch.

"Please, sit down, make yourself comfortable. I even prepared for your visit," I stated, rummaging around in a drawer and tossing Alexis a bag of liquorice. He shook his head and burst out laughing, though he quickly opened the packet and carefully selected the tastiest looking one nonetheless.

Taking some candy from the bag as well - I had to say, that candy did have addictive properties - I sat down in a big leather chair next to the couch.

Silence dominated the next few moments while we were happily munching away, giving me the time to formulate some questions in my mind I wanted to ask Alexis. Despite having tried very hard to stay away from everything immortal, now that I had sort of made an immortal friend, I found myself rather curious about their life.

"So, is it just a bunch of angels up there in Heaven?" I asked, grabbing another piece of liquorice.

Alexis leaned back on the couch, seemingly satiated with liquorice. For now.

"Well, apart from angels, there are loads of regular people residing there - people who've lived their lives on Earth and died. They make up the majority of Heaven's population, actually," Alexis replied. "They don't have wings or anything, and mainly resemble their human selves, only ethereal."

He paused, giving me a moment to process and ask questions. When none came he continued. "Then there are the angels, of course. They mainly look like what you've seen here on Earth, feathery golden wings with slight variations in wing size or shape," he said, sifting through the sweets again. "Angels have some sort of hierarchy - the higher up you are, the more tasks and power you are given. The angels you see here on Earth usually have a very simple task: subtly guide humans to the path of righteousness. Some of the most important tasks, such as guarding the gates of Heaven, are given to the most faithful and loyal of all the angels. It's quite an honor to be given important tasks to do," he stated, then paused, thinking on his words. "Like being given a promotion I guess. In those upper echelons of angels, great responsibility is rewarded with great power. The Gatekeeper angels have tremendous might to battle whatever it is that may threaten Heaven and its inhabitants. Others, for example, have been tasked to keep records of, well, practically anything worthy of recording."

He picked at a bit of stuck liquorice between his teeth with his finger and again gave me an opportunity to ask questions.

I looked at the man before me, tangled hair, sleeping with succubi, currently lazily draped over that couch and tried to picture his place in Heaven.

"What was your task?" I asked curiously.

Alexis shifted in his seat and uncomfortably cleared his throat.

"I was one of the two Gatekeepers of Heaven," he sighed, looked at the bag of liquorice and found himself suddenly immensely intrigued by its ingredients.

My jaw dropped.

"Gatekeeper?! You were a very important and powerful angel then?"

Alexis nodded slowly, intently staring at the bag.

No way... This man continued to amaze me.

I sat upright and inched forward to the edge of my seat.

"So... What happened?" I asked him eagerly, but then glanced at his jagged wing, the bones gently swaying to match his breathing, and figured I'd better tone down my enthusiasm.

Alexis began grinding his teeth.

"...If you don't mind me asking," I quickly added, afraid I'd fucked up.

"Nah, I don't mind you asking. It's just..." Alexis tossed the bag on the table and sighed. After a while he sat up straight and rested his elbows on his knees. "I've been a Gatekeeper since the dawn of time," he said and glanced at my dropped jaw.

"Yes, I'm that old," he added with a smirk.

I quickly closed my mouth and let him continue.

"Together with my fellow gatekeeper Samuel, I stood by the Gates every second of every day to guard Heaven's entrance and to slay any hellspawn that tried to enter."

He looked at me with a smile, a small twinkle in his eyes. "We've fought some epic battles, Samuel and I. Once we even managed to hold off a direct attack from the Dark Lord himself until reinforcements arrived. Epic, I tell you. Epic!" Alexis reminisced with a grand smile on his face, emphasizing his words with his hands.

Slowly his smile faded and the delighted twinkle in his eyes dimmed.

"But most of the time we were just glorified bell boys, standing there looking all tough and imposing, but having nothing better to do than to open the gates for new human arrivals and angels going back and forth from Earth," he muttered and looked over to me with a tired look. "It was boring as hell."

"To make my boredom more bearable I started talking to some of the angels that came back from Earth, asking how their stay was, what they were up to down there. Things like that. Slowly but surely I became intrigued by human life on Earth. How, even though the Holy Lord created them as he created us, they were so very different from us. I became so intrigued that at the peak of my boredom I decided to make a quick visit."

Alexis snorted and sat back in his seat, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

"Samuel didn't approve, said I shouldn't stray from my Holy Task, but I assured him I wouldn't be long," he said and paused, taking a long, deep breath. "That was the beginning of the end for me. Compared to the sterile beauty and stable continuity that was Heaven, Earth was a wonderful, chaotic melting pot. So much to see, do and feel, and ever changing. I became ...addicted."

Alexis sighed, leaned over to the bag of candy and replenished the small supply of liquorice in his hand. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Prone to addictions are you?" I couldn't resist asking and followed his lead.

He grinned at me - almost evilly - while putting some candy in his mouth.

"You have no idea," he grumbled ominously.

Alexis got up off the couch and began pacing, the sounds of his munching pairing perfectly with his steps. Near my desk, he halted and stared at something on my desk. He reached over and grabbed a magazine, carefully looking at the cover.

"Then one day on Earth, I met a woman who looked very similar to her," he said and tossed the magazine on the table, gesturing with a nod. A picture of a woman graced the cover - she was beautiful with dark skin, short curly black hair and a lovely smile.

"She seduced me," Alexis reminisced with a warm smile. "It was a wonderful thing, really, being seduced. Something I had never even dreamed of experiencing. The adrenaline, the lust... ahh, it was intoxicating," he sighed wistfully.

Alexis took one last look at her, picked up the magazine and put it back on my desk, face down. "We ended up having sex," he mumbled.

I stared at him and felt the sudden silence in the room bear down on me uncomfortably. I knew from our previous encounter with Layla that my angelic friend enjoyed sex, but I figured that started after he somehow lost his immortality, not while he was still on the job.

Alexis cleared his throat and turned to me.

"Engaging in sex is one of the biggest sins an angel could indulge in, but..." he said, looking straight at me, "it was wonderful... I immediately knew that this is what I wanted. No, what I needed, lust, freedom, sin... I also knew that my role as Gatekeeper was over..." With a pained look he continued, "When I arrived back at the Gates, I wasn't sure how to handle it and tell Samuel. To buy me some time I tried to act as if nothing had happened. As if this immense change within me hadn't occurred."

Alexis sighed, "It worked. He didn't notice anything strange in my behavior. Until this one day, I came back from Earth, after meeting up with that gorgeous woman again, and somehow he knew. He took one look at me and his eyes blazed with anger. Anger, disbelief and hurt."

Alexis clenched his fists. "I tried to reason with him. Tried to make him understand why I did it, but he wouldn't have any of it. My betrayal of our Holy Task had blinded him, made him lose control. He powered up his sword with his celestial flames and came towards me as my judge, jury and executioner," he said, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Alexis was silent for a few moments.

I watched a myriad of emotions cross his face as he relived what must be the worst moments of his life. After a while, he began talking again, albeit with a somewhat shaky voice.

"While I knew I had sinned and that the Holy Lord would cast me out for my actions, in the back of my mind I did expect some form of trial."

He scoffed, "I was wrong. Without any form of trial Samuel cut my left wing clean off with his sword." Alexis's voice was trembling as he relived his memories for my sake. "Samuel was unstoppable, he wouldn't hear my logic. I hardly defended myself when he started to rip off the feathers, flesh and bones from my right wing. He kept shouting at me asking why I had sinned, if I had no sense of duty or righteousness, if I was insane."

Alexis fell silent again, taking a moment to steady his shaking voice. "I couldn't take it anymore and did not want to wait for the execution that was sure to follow my disfigurement."

He looked at me with bitter, tearful eyes. "I fell... I fell down to Earth to save what little life I had left."

Silence dominated the room. I looked at Alexis, appalled by what he just told me. This was not what I expected in the slightest. I didn't understand... Couldn't understand... This man had been a faithful servant of God since, well, forever. And now he was cast aside for having sex? That was just... harsh. Way too harsh.

Alexis was still silent. Shame and desperation were easily distinguishable on his face. My mind was working overtime, and yet I still didn't get it. How could Heaven work like that... Be so unforgiving... That wasn't right...

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but... humans have their sins forgiven when they repent, right?" I asked him.

Alexis didn't look up and kept staring at the floor. A curt nod was the only answer I got.

I narrowed my eyes, worried I would not like his answer to my next question, "...And angels aren't?"

Alexis grumbled and shook his head.

I frowned as I felt irritation beginning to rise. Suppressing it with a sigh, I asked, "Why?"

Alexis slowly raised his head and looked at me with tired eyes.

"While humans were created in God's image, they are also very fickle and impressionable. They cannot help giving into temptation and so aren't really held accountable for their sins. Us angels are eternal and embody perfection. We are supposed to resist temptation at every turn," he answered slowly and deliberately, bitterness lacing his voice. "We are not permitted the luxury of failure."

He sat back down on the couch with a sigh, leaning forward and rested his head in his hands with a dreary sigh.

I closed my eyes in frustration. Not permitted the luxury of failure - that had to be the biggest load of bullshit I had ever heard. They weren't allowed to make mistakes? That was impossible, nobody was perfect...

"And if you didn't choose to fall, the price you'd have to pay for having sex is death?" I asked rhetorically, feeling my anger rise the more I thought about this ridiculous notion of justice.

Alexis' subsequent silence was deafening.

"Fuck them," I snarled. "Fuck them all."

Alexis looked at me, surprised.

I looked at him fiercely. "This is not how you should have been treated. Screw up or not, it's not right," I spat, clenching my fists. "It's a fucked up thing if you've been giving your all for all of eternity and can't have a bit of harmless fun now and then."

Alexis slowly lowered his hands and looked at me for the longest time, completely dumbfounded.

"Thank you," he whispered, "you're the first non-demon to ever take my side."

I was flabbergasted, and frankly, a bit shocked.

"Nobody in Heaven empathized with you?" I asked him softly.

Bitter silence greeted me. Alexis swallowed hard and turned away his head, not letting me see his emotions.

"Not even a little?" I pressed, unbelieving that an entire community would collective turn their backs on their Gatekeeper.

Alexis sighed.

"I gave up trying a long time ago. None of them will talk to me, or even look at me. When they do, I'm met with disgust and shame," he sighed, leaning back.

I stared at Alexis, saw all sorts of emotions cross his face and shape his brow - anger, sorrow, shame... He leaned over to grab the bag of liquorice from the table and emptied the remaining few in his hands, using his finger to sift through the candy. His etheric mutilated wing pointed up, the stray feathers swaying to the movement of his shoulder blade.

He used to be a Gatekeeper... Gatekeeper! I was not at all versed in angelic lore, but even I could deduce that had to be a very important role among the angels.

Yet he was tossed out like trash after a single mistake...

I still couldn't believe it.

Even though I only met Alexis hours ago, I felt very deep empathy for him. Empathy and a whole lot of anger on his behalf. This couldn't be right... This system was flawed...

Suddenly something dawned on me - Alexis couldn't possibly be the only one who wasn't happy with their eternal role. Throngs of humans didn't stick to one job or one partner all their lives, why weren't immortals allowed to change things around either? Surely, there were plenty of demons and angels out there who were not happy with their assigned tasks and must have been looking for something else, a distraction in their lives, however short - or sinful - it may have been.

I got up from my chair and walked to the balcony overlooking the factory floor, lost in thought. Humans went out clubbing to forget about their linear lives and obligations, to spend a few hours enjoying themselves before returning to their homes and their boredom.

I looked around at the still unfinished decor of the club and let my thoughts roam. This place could be a safe haven for demons and angels - the one place where they would not be judged for wanting something else in their lives - however briefly. A place where they could do anything they wanted - within reason - where Earth rules would dictate what was and was not allowed instead of that divine bullshit that bound them. In here, if two consenting adults wanted to fuck each other senseless, they could, without judgment. Be they angel or demon, all would be welcome.

While I was brooding, my angelic friend had gotten up and joined me, casually leaning on the railing and looking down onto the factory floor. I stopped my musings and looked at him.

"I've made my decision," I declared. "I don't want my club to be just any night club - I want it to become a place where immortals can relax, let go of their obligations and restrictions. A safe haven where they can let go of their obligations and experiment a little. But, it'll have to be a type of mutual agreement. I don't want anyone preying on another. I won't have that shit here."

For a moment, Alexis merely stared at me in stunned silence. His gaze went from me back to the factory floor below. After a while he swallowed hard.

"A safe haven... That's..." he mumbled and cleared his throat. "Immortals will flock to you. I'm sure of it," he said softly and swallowed again.

I clasped his shoulder and squeezed it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw his jaw clench and unclench. After a while he stood upright and a small chuckle rose up from his chest.

"Well, Dante... That sounds like a wonderful destiny, don't you think?" he grinned weakly, poking me in the ribs with his elbow.

I chuckled.

"You like the idea?" I asked him.

Alexis' grin grew wider and more genuine by the second as he nodded his approval. "While it's too late for me, I know others would find solace here. It is an excellent idea, and I will help you if you let me."

Smiling, I clasped his shoulder again and squeezed it.

"Thank you," I replied.

Alexis nodded, then frowned.

"However, you'll need a specific type of magic to keep this place hidden from both the Holy and the Dark Lord if this plan of yours is to succeed. Neither deity will appreciate their subjects transgressing, however brief or innocent it may be," he mumbled, exhaling slowly and rubbing his chin, contemplating. "You'll need the Valkyrie to pull that off..."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. Alexis merely looked at me sadly.

"Unfortunately not much is known about her, apart from her immense magical power," he sighed, "and unfortunately she resides in Hell and doesn't often come to Earth, so she's difficult to get a hold of. I may know a few demons that could be persuaded to go to Hell, though."

Hmm... Well... So here I was presented with the first setback in my 10-minute-old plan.