Obsidian Chapter 1

1

Mariana sat at the table, clutching the black thing in her hands. It was a winter night, the full moon was shining outside, and her little house was surrounded by fog. The modestly furnished room was lit by the orange flames from the stove and a candle on the table. Every now and then, there was a crackling sound as the damp wood burned in the fire. Obsidian.

She stared at the black stone. It wasn't just ordinary black, it was a darkness that had engulfed her from the very first moment.

"Exchange it with me," he said quietly but urgently from the doorway.

She didn't look up, unable to tear her eyes away from the black ball. He knew she was trapped. "You asked me for help, so here I am," he said more emphatically.

"I don't need it anymore," she said. She paid no attention to him.

So he left his place by the door and took two steps toward her. "Leave me the stone and I'll give you this in exchange." He leaned over the table where she was sitting and held out his hand in front of her. He was holding a ball of the same size in his palm, but this one was not black, but transparent.

"Crystal?" she wondered, finally looking at him.

"Yes, it's crystal. Take it, it's yours."

"Are you crazy? I won't trade it for crystal! You have no idea what obsidian gives me," she said rebelliously.

"Mariano," he sighed unhappily. When he saw her expression, he knew it was bad, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Then keep them both," he asked her.

"Feel free to leave it here, but I'm telling you, I'm not interested in that stone. I have what I need." She hugged the lava glass cut into a ball with her palms and got up from the table. She took a step, stopped, and turned to him. "Go away, Izachiel. I want to be alone, you're disturbing me. Please."

He looked at her for a long time and then placed the crystal on the table. He made sure it was right next to the burning white candle and checked that it wouldn't roll away from it. Because he smelled that scent in the room again and knew that if his crystal stood next to the Light Candle, Samael would not dare take it from Mariana. He felt sick, smelling the acrid stench of Samael, which was corroding his aura. He was standing right behind him, laughing, because Mariana was pushing the Light away from herself right now. The only thing that could bring her back from her misguided path. He turned on his heel and looked into the eyes of the devil's extended hand. Samael was indeed laughing with a crooked grin, and he had reason to, because he had taken Izachiel's place at her side. And Izachiel had been her angelic guide before she lost patience with him. Izachiel couldn't do anything about it; she had decided for herself. He quietly disappeared from her house.

-----

He stood behind the window and looked through the frozen glass as Mariana lay down in bed. It was time to go to sleep; the gloomy winter months brought early darkness. But he didn't sleep. Angels never sleep, especially the Guardians who have been assigned a ward. Specifically, he is always on guard because Mariana needs him, even though she stubbornly pushes him away. She has been rejecting him for some time now. He knows what happened, but the train has already left the station and cannot be stopped. Why her? And why him? That's how he got involved. Why them?

He saw Lucifer's minion, that stinking devil, sitting in the shadows in the corner of the room, and he frowned with hostility and hatred. At first, it wasn't in his nature to feel these emotions and judge, but lately he doesn't recognize himself at all. He can't control it; he knows he's changing. The devil crouched in the darkness, where the glow of the flames from the stove did not reach, but he noticeably swished his tail. Mariana, covered up to her ears with a feather duvet, stirred beneath it and suddenly sat up. Like a sleepwalker, she got out of bed in her nightgown and walked to the table with an absent look in her eyes. She blew out the candle that Izachiel himself had brought her a few weeks ago. His endless Light Candle, which he had given her as a direct link between them, through which she could call him at any time. He felt unbearable pain, his heart was breaking, it was a direct rejection, and yet another emotion he did not know... Fear? But those are human feelings.

Why did he feel it? And why did it hurt so much!

Mariana picked up the crystal ball, glanced into the dark corner, and smiled out of the corner of her mouth. She now headed for the door with it. On the way, she looked provocatively into the window, and at that moment he was sure that it wasn't her, that she was losing her will. She went out into the yard, overgrown with damp, bright green moss. She stretched out her arm and threw the crystal toward the forest. The crystal flew to the edge of the yard and the dark forest, bounced off the ground, and shattered on impact with a rock hidden under the fallen leaves of an old oak tree. It was broken into three pieces. On her way back to the house, she didn't even look at him, even though he was standing just a few meters away from her by the cottage. She pretended he didn't exist, but he could read her thoughts: You have disappointed me. Don't come back. And don't bring me anything.

When she slammed the door behind her, there was a rustling sound somewhere in the undergrowth, and the dry leaves began to move. Izachiel watched with sad eyes as four mouse-like creatures emerged from behind a layer of brown oak leaves, searching among the brambles for shards of crystal, collecting them and carrying them with difficulty on their two legs to his shoes. Forest sprites. He crouched down and thanked them silently. These beings are each from a different world, but they have understood each other very well since ancient times, even though they speak different languages. The mice looked at him questioningly with their tiny black eyes. He took all the shards from them, put them together, and used the power of his aura to join them. The ball was whole and intact.

"I know this is not how the gifts of the Earth should be treated, but please do not be angry with her," he said to them. The earth sprites, known for taking the form of small rodents, large beetles, or lizards, disappeared into the leaves with a squeak of greeting. He looked up at the sky, which was dark blue and dotted with stars; it was a full moon that night. It seemed as if, within a minute, the fog had settled a meter above the ground and become even thicker. He couldn't see his feet in the milky haze, but from the shoulders up, everything was clear, illuminated by the sparkling light of the huge moon. A magical night. He watched the sky in awe, as if it were falling on his head. A shooting star flashed by. What, now in January? I don't know what to do, he whispered to the universe. He looked back toward the house. Mariana was already lying in bed again, and the devil had disappeared from the house. Why doesn't anyone answer when I call out that I don't know what to do? Why doesn't anyone help me, give me advice? Am I all alone? Has he lost contact with the Light for good? He looked helplessly at his powerless hands.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to do something. Mariana doesn't want his help, but so what, he'll steal that damn enchanted stone from her! No, you mustn't, said the voice in his head, it's against the promise you made. It's her choice, and he mustn't interfere in her life without her consent. But he knows that everything has long since gone wrong.