Tales of Perx

Michael had assured me that Gabriel would soon return, yet as the days turned into a blur of repetitive tasks and ceaseless vigilance over the slumbering Raphael, a sense of restlessness began to gnaw at me. In his absence, Michael entrusted me with the responsibility of heaven and the care of the human Raphael. Although the command rankled me, as we were equals in rank, I recognized the wisdom in his decision.

Two days slipped by, marked only by occasional checks on Raphael, who remained in the care of a handful of companions and guards. They were tasked with alerting me should he awaken. The heavenly army, loyal and respectful, greeted me warmly during my visits. I took advantage of these interactions to inquire about the rumors I had heard from the guards regarding Perx. Their eyes flickered from eagerness to shame, as if they bore some responsibility for his actions owing to their lower rank. They relayed a tale that I found deeply unsettling, one that contradicted our inherent nature.

It seemed we had orchestrated battles between the Caelestis, the heavenly army, and the sinners' army from hell. During one such encounter, Perx and his loyalists were conspicuously absent. It wasn't due to cowardice or negligence, but rather a divergent mission that Perx had set his sights on. These battles were a result of a pact between their leader, a formidable ancient sinner who you might call the devil, and us. Only a handful were privy to this arrangement, and Perx was not among them. So, when he spotted an opportunity to strike at the leader and potentially eliminate him, he seized it.

During this battle, hell was left virtually defenseless as everyone was eager to take part in the fight, even though it was a doomed endeavor. The Caelestis were invincible, and in the rare event that they faltered, the Archangels would step in and reverse the tide. You might ask why we would strike such a deal with them. The answer lies in their limited resources. Unlike heaven, which enjoyed infinite space, hell was constrained by limited land, making accommodation a challenge. Furthermore, the sinners, with their new bodies devoid of certain basic emotions, needed a purpose. Engaging their combative instincts and placing them in a real battle seemed like the best solution we could devise.

Returning to the tale of Perx, he ventured into hell in search of their leader. However, failing to locate him, possibly because the leader often disguised himself as an ordinary soldier during battles, he turned his wrath on the few, most powerful beings of hell still present, supposed to manage it in the aftermath of wars. He systematically dismantled the established order, creating chaos in his wake. After the battle, when the leader and a few survivors were about to return to their domain, they found themselves inundated with new sinners, arriving by the minute. The powerful unmentionable beings who used to manage this influx were sorely missing.

What impacted us the most was Perx's inexplicable disappearance for over a year. His elusive nature as a shadow angel rendered both Michael and Gabriel incapable of locating him. Eventually, Gabriel stumbled upon him by chance and brought him back. However, Perx was resistant to their directive to remain in heaven for what they deemed a much-needed hiatus. He continued his pattern of disappearing and reappearing. His recent disappearance was the reason Gabriel was absent; he was supposed to be out searching for Perx. Now, Michael was on a quest to find both.

I used this time to prepare for Raphael's awakening. It was clear that he wouldn't wake up with his own will, and I would have to coax him into consciousness and then attempt to address his myriad questions and concerns. I was still resolved to find a way to successfully execute the merge, and since Michael didn't appear enthusiastic about the idea, even though I was certain he knew the solution since he had just accomplished it by mending Gabriel and his twin soul, I had to undertake this study independently.

I turned to various sources for information: our own books, some ancient grimoires not authored by us but containing useful insights into these cases, and even recent technologies developed by our masterminds. These technologies were akin to those being developed by humans, from whom our masterminds drew inspiration. The idea was to create something capable of processing an immense amount of data, which we had in abundance, and provide a viable solution.