Blue Diamond

Once upon a time, before there was earth there was only air. Space. Stars. Immortal creatures of incredible powers and opposite opinions on operation. The armies where separated by principles of righteous good and wicked evil. The army that wanted harmony was called the Angels. Their foe who wanted chaos were named the Devils. Their battles were savage and both their kingdoms fractured and fell to ruins.

After seven thousand years the war became a stalemate. No energy left to fight but alive to see new life grown under their enormous feet. Human beings began to crawl over their toes. Between the cosmos of their battlefields a planet formed between their time and space. The Devils and Angels became engrossed with the new animals. One species, intelligent enough to be called foolish, was named Humans.

The Angels and Devils both loved to teach and play with their Humans. This shared infatuation began a new war for dominance. However this feud ended in a flash for the immortals realized a flick of their mountain wrists and ocean's ripple harmed their Terrestrial pets.

The Devils surrendered their fight and signed a treaty for peace. The Angel's Treaty swore to share the humans equally. For the tiny being's fragile security the immortals would only interfere with the softest influence. They would brush against their cherished Earthly Ones but never directly touch.

Of course the Devils didn't hold tongue for very long. The humans were sensitive and wild; their favorite toys and beloved children. Angels taught art, science, appreciation for beauty, which lead to culture. The Devils taught jealousy, cheating and sex. The Angels could not risk destroying every Devil because in their accidents the horned beasts did provide useful. Between the hate and love music was invented and technology sprang. Devil antics in a straight line would lead to every sin imaginable but with modest sprinkles they Angels saw their humans in mirth more often.

The Angels taught honor and the Devils created surprise. Good needed evil and Evil couldn't flourish for long without good. The scale would tip back and forth through the centuries. This universe had learned to find balance with practice and patience.

Practice led to efficiency but no one was perfect.

The city of Los Vaticlese was built on worship for the Angels. Despite the vows of secrecy a few Angels would be seen and marveled by humans time and again. These citizens of Los Vaticleses modeled their behavior on the highest levels of purity and structured morale. The city was polished and revered but only a moron would believe every single citizen was nice.

A young woman kicked and beat an older man in an alley. This act of violence was no only in her defense, for he had tried to assault her virtue, but also in her disgust.

She, who was named Raf, was disgusted by a person's weak choice to act evil. As her boots bruised and broke his ribs Raf felt justice renter the world. The man moaned, spit at her jeans but couldn't stand up. Raf took out her smart phone, she took a picture of the man then sent the picture and her location to a local police station's alert database.

"I pray for you salvation." Raf said looking the man in his one open eye. She sensed he hated her and feared her swelling knuckles. Raf hated him in return and hated that anyone had made her feel hate.

She turned away from the man who grabbed her by the ankle. Raf tsked him, planted her grabbed foot firmly, then raised the other shoe to slam the boot heel through his skin and scratch his bone.

"I'll still pray." Raf promised as she walked away from the pooling blood.

She held her breathe and sped walked into a near by boutique. She smiled, grabbed the closest dress on the rack, and asked a sales associate where the dressing rooms were.

In the changing room Raf sat against the wall on the floor, instead of the puffy couch, and quietly cried. She inhaled and exhaled slowly and recited the hymes she learned from her church to ease her fears. Her fear was in realizing how real an attack was and the chances of such a things happening to other, less battle-ready people. Her heart cried for the unfortunates she never met.

Over her head, invisible to all humans, was a female Angel and a male Devil.

The Angel named Urie put a hand to her lips. "I wish I could hug her and tell her she'll never have an experience like that again."

"It was scary for her, but now I'm scared for every idiot that tried to cross her." The Devil named Sulfus said with a smile.

"Shame on you! Have you no sympathy for shaken state. Raf could've been hurt or worse!" Urie said, she imagined the Devil was truly looking forward to more brawling for his amusement.

Sulfus wouldn't admit that he never wanted to see his Terrestrial in such danger ever again. He didn't want to admit he wanted to comfort Raf as well. He focused on the better part of the event where he got to witness Raf get a little dark.

"Angel, I'm hoping she learns some bitterness for this. That sugary mindset of always being polite could've gotten her killed." Sulfus said.

Urie raised an eyebrow, "So you do care if she lives or dies."

"Hey, I've worked hard to bring fun into this stiff girl's square life, all that progress isn't going up in smoke yet." Sulfus said defensively.

A beep went off so Raf wiped her eyes to check her phone. She chuckled when she saw a text message from her boyfriend Raoul.

Sulfus groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, now he checks up on her."

"Hush, Devil. Aww, look at her smile! She'll feel much better when she runs into his arms and decides to marry him." Urie said with her eyes glowing bright as her halo.

Sulfus choked, "Raf is not marrying that tool! He's too lame for even her and they're kids!"

"I dunno, if we were to range her human age to ours then she would be proper wife age for a Angel." Urie said, already imagining her lovely Earthly Raf in a white veil.

Sulfus rolled his head in his neck, "You make me nauseas. Hundred to one odds she won't even tell him about tonight. He can't handle it."

"Raf trusts Raoul, he's not blind to hardships. He'll be understanding to her. A good friend is what she needs." Urie said as she watched Raf hang up the dress.

Raf fibbed and said the dress wasn't her style and left the store. Urie and Sulfus floated over her as she texted Raoul. Raf also used a Taxi app to get a ride home. she didn't live far from the boutique but wasn't in the mood to walk.

"She's going home and straight to bed. Good. She can talk to Raoul tomorrow, they won't have school." Urie said.

"Yeah, sure." Sulfus said, he thought Urie was correct in all of Raf's supposed actions except sleeping soon.

The Devil and Angel parted ways. There were bases on Earth that the Devils and Angels made for frequent observation on her Terrestrials. They planned on checking Raf the moment she woke up the next morning.

Raf sat in her bed at stared at the moon through her bedroom window. There was a tree that blocked the full globe, she didn't mind. Raf considered how she would tell Raoul about the attack; start with it was a normal night after studying at the coffee shop or green of her hands didn't hurt and he should see the other guy.

Raf got off her bed and kneeled. She put her hands together and prayed.

"Dear Angels above, you've given me plenty already. I ask nothing for myself but please look out for other innocents. I don't wish pain on anyone else, just please protect those who can't protect themselves. Please."

Raf would question if her words were heard by anyone, immortal or other, and felt a tiny twinge of doubt. The rest of her heart felt faith in forces greater than her own hands and relaxed with the knowledge that after she was okay she could help others be okay.

Raf was sixteen, built well thanks to being a team-member in many school sports, and pretty in the usual blonde way. She laid under her light quilt and fell into a peaceful sleep.

There was a disturbance in Raf's spine, electricity snuck into her subconscious. A message whispered in Raf's ear and she horizontally rose from her bed. A purple light glowed around every inch of her body. A shot to the heart awoke Raf who felt the drop down to her mattress. Every cell and nerve ending in her was awake and tingling. Raf laughed and ran her fingers through her knee long hair.

Raf continued laughing hard until her lungs hurt and her face felt stretched.

The next morning Raoul met Raf in the park. The day was sunny and he brought her favorite kind of avocado bagels.

Urie and Sulfus followed behind Raf in the air.

"She looks better." Sulfus said, thinking the Terrestrial was almost chipper.

"Yeah. Did you sleep well last night?" Urie asked.

"Sure, why?" The Devil with the star tattoo around his eye said.

"Last night I felt a rumble in my halo and wondered if you snuck away to check on Raf."

"I did not, but I did feel my horns burn last night, I assumed it was related to a particularly sexy dream I was having. Want details on that?"

"Gross, never." Urie said, she shook her ringlets.

Raf sat scooted next to Raoul.

"Hey, you look happy. Hungry?" Raoul asked holding up the bag of bagels.

"Not now, Raoul hold on. I have to tell you something amazing!" Raf said, arms lifting over her head. "I'm going to become an Angel!"