Ůnion oƒ Sainŧs

Merciful Angel - Michael Gullbrandson 

War Angel - Rickbw1 

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Sacred Scroll : Eye of the Storm

    The Forces of Hell looked upon the heavy faces of their foes, then out at one another, and knew within this single motion that the world would have to wait. The battle for humanity had come to a crossroad.  For so long Heaven had fought Hell, and Hell with Heaven, that many only knew the horror that was war, and little of its cost.  Long ago there had been a time of peace, after the Fallen One had lost his charms on Humanity.  Though as the coming new age drew near, it was now more than ever that the energies of earth and its people could fall victim to his vices.  

    Heaven had axcepted long ago that evil would survive as long as Humanity continued their limited ways of understanding their realities. In an almost yin-yang existence, both Heaven and Hell pulled on the human subconscious, whispering sweet nothings of "good" and "evil," until the physical world began to tremble at its core.  Human civilizations throughout history had known these days would come, where all would never, or could ever be the same again.  

    The Summarian tablets and sacred Veda texts would be the first to write the true history of humanity's beginnings, though it would be the Native Hopi Indians, Mayans, Oriental and Western philosophers and prophets that would warn of the coming events.  Though these times have been given many names throughout the centuries, to many it would be known as the End of Days.

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Sacred Scroll : Hidden Dangers

    To understand the war in the heavens, one must first understand the nature of this war, and how it effects the people on earth.  As the sacred knowledge has been passed down, it has been agreed upon that both Angels and Demons feed off the energy of the physical world.  They live in a plane of existence where the metaphysical energies of reality unite, so that instead of physical food to nourish themselves, they survive off the energy frequencies emitted by humans and other living beings of the universe. Though many have argued that in essence both Angels and Demons are influencing the human race for their own selfish means, it is the Angels who wish to see a happily thriving human population.  

    Now the question must arise: Why must Angels and Demons feed off Human energy?  Our sacred scrolls explain that although Angels and Demons (and other beings in the astral plane) are not "living," they need constant flow of energy for their souls to survive.  If not, then their souls become lost, and they float throughout the astral plane as insane disembodied spirits.  At times, these lost souls can be more dangerous than the Demons and Angels themselves.  Since humans and other similar beings across the universe radiate huge amounts of energy, they are constantly being fed upon by the astral plane beings.  However, what makes Angels and Demons different is the type of energy they consume.  When the physical body dies, its soul leaves and enters the astral plane.  According to how far the soul is spiritually developed, the soul can either reincarnate again in human physical form, or stay in the astral plane.  A soul that is highly developed in good (positive) alignment can evolve into an Angel, while a soul highly developed in bad (negative) alignment evolves into a Demon.  Both need their respective energies to survive.  What most humans have conceptualized as "Heaven" and "Paradise" are based upon a flimsy idea of utopia, not realizing that even here the ideas of right and wrong are still heavily shaded in gray. What makes the physical and astral planes different are the "God like" powers of telepathy, telekinesis, psychic, and other metaphysical capabilities acquired in the astral plane far surpassing many mortal's comprehension.

    Though Angels and Demons cannot fully control a human being, or forcefully make a human do something against their will, they use a variety of subtle techniques to orchestrate "fate."  What one calls coincidence is usually the workings of an Angel or Demon, hoping that the event will be a catalyst for a certain future.  The main weapon of Demons against humans has traditionally been structured religion, where through these means even the most well intentioned people have been ripped from their humanity.  The majority of a Demon's arsenal also comes in the form of technological "advances" and other mind control techniques through the Mass Media.  Through the cultivation of constant fear and violence, large hordes of Demons can rejuvenate their crippled souls, while on the other side of the spectrum Angels fight to plant their own seeds of knowledge and understanding.  Angels do not "step into" the physical world (as Demons have done through technology), but instead protect and guide humans.  Both Demons and Angels use art to persuade, as the power of the human mind for creativity far escapes even the most remotest of boundaries, and can strike certain chords of emotion hidden far inside the soul.  Both tribes have also in the past incarnated "enlightened beings" to spread their messages onto the pages of history.  Infamous figures like Ghengas Khan, Pol Pot, Napoleon and Hitler all came for a specific purpose generated by the Demons.  While figures like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, Buddha and Jesus, all came from the Angel persuasion.  What is important to note is that the tide is always turning, and with each stride either side makes in the human realm, comes great loss. 

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 War in Heaven - dyn0101

Angels and Demons - bigmanhaywood 

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    For many millennia the Angel and Demon forces had stayed away from direct physical war.  When the first great war broke out, Hell's forces literally tore into the physical realm of the humans, taking control of planet earth and other known worlds in the universe under a resistance movement lead by the Fallen One.  This resistance came with the promise that no longer would the Demon forces lay inferior to Heaven's masses.  The Fallen One preached that for far too long the forces of Heaven had played a twisted game of karma against living souls.  What right did Heaven have to dictate what was morally true or honest?  What right did Heaven have to condemn humans to a life of pain, and then further punish most through an afterlife of damnation?  His message spread like wildfire through the Demon and Angel ranks alike, and soon his rebellion was leaking into the physical realm, claiming its territory as their own.

    Heaven had no choice but to send its forces into the physical realm and shut down the rebellion before all the universe was corrupted.  For the first time in millenniums, the Cosmos was aflame as Angels and Demons fought to the death.  Using their God like powers, the battles resembled nothing of modern day human warfare.  The world burned with the ashes of feathers and scales, and high above metal clashed on metal, until only a few rebelling forces stood strong.  With every shattered death of the battle, the blood of the fallen would rain down from the earthly skies, so that for 40 days and 40 nights, the earth continued its cries of bloodied rain, and flooded all the world.   Only a handful of Angels and Demons were able to escape The Great Flood and make their way back into the astral plane, though the damage had already been done.  The Human Race was all but extinct, and the energy that had once filled earth, was now fragile and minuscule.  The forces of Heaven and Hell called for a truce, knowing that neither would survive long without humans living in the physical realm.  

    The Fallen One was allowed passage through certain dimensions, and there he waited patiently for his chance to one day rise again, and claim the minds of the universe.  This time however he would come prepared, and sent his minions to influence the world into a mindset that would be poised for his arrival.  

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    Centuries had passed since the First Great War between Heaven and Hell, and Angels and Demons had once again gone back to influencing the universe from the astral plane.  After the war, many separate factions of Angels and Demons roamed the universe, controlling sections of the Cosmos.  Now and then these groups would engage in minor skirmishes, even among the same race lines.  Soon however bold leaders from both sides would organize small armies.  Though it is unknown which clan truly was the first, it is clear that two Angel groups formed around the same time.  "Ironic Gaming" and "The Divine Fallen" would become the earliest Angel clans to spring from the ashes, and they wreaked havoc on the unsuspecting underworld.  An Angel named Jade Iris would play an instrumental role in these developments, who as leader of The Divine Fallen, established herself as a worthy and honest Queen.  Though hardly ever seen inside the universe, She became the most powerful Angel in existence, and created the template that many clans would soon follow.

    However Hell was to be no lullaby, and soon unleashed "The Forces of Hellborn," a Demon clan lead by the ruthless RinaChan.  She was known for her stone silence, and with her second in command (a cunning Demon named Smith) set out to make their claims on the outer universe.  They have been so successful in their conquests, that legend tells of entire galaxies falling to their will by the mere magnitude of their presence.  At the same time, earth was dealing with constant bombardment from a powerful Demon group, who called themselves "Mount Olympus" (also known as "The LEGION").  Though the Demons had not yet tried to break into the physical realm, the clan's leader (named Hollywood), had created upon earth the movie business, and owned the top 4 conglomerate companies of the world, which included most major news and communication outlets.  Hollywood's clever use of mind control through the arts and news created a frenzy in the human mind.  From his astral realm below earth, a simple show or movie could shape public opinions into pure hatred, all while the people munched happily away on popcorn and soda.  His second in command was named Thor, and he manipulated the weather to sow catastrophe on unsuspecting people.   The tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and fires that have swept the world in recent times have been mostly the product of Thor and all Mount Olympus.

    It was in these tremulous times that a Saint was born.  Born With Angels and Demons fighting in other parts of the universe, and Demons having almost complete control of Earth, this human native would soon spin the wheels of fate, forever changing the landscape of what was possible. From a small leaky boat, there would be twins born this critical night in the oceans of the Atlantic, where Thor was creating a thunderous storm.  The first to be born by these waves would be the baby boy, only to be followed by a twin sister. Their mother had given too much blood, and with the final vision of her babies' smiling eyes of comfort, died there beside them. No one knows what happened to the other remaining souls on that boat, but it is said that when the two twins were finally found, their mother had turned to dust.  It was a passing fish boat Captain that first found the drifting ship.  Little is known of their first years, though legend tells that the Captain (considering them miracles) took them in,  and together sailed and saw the world.  They were raised the rough life of sailors, and found little peace in this ruling thug-like world of cut throats.  At times they pirated the seas, stealing ships and their bounty.  Other nights however, they found themselves both dreaming as if in another times, high in the mountains of other worlds. Little did the Captain know that these babies he'd found so many years before (with a host of other unlikely heroes), would play a dangerous game with fate.  He called the boy Ascension; the girl they named Tenchi Tsubasa. 

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Slave Labor - Mariano Villalba 

Unknown Artist 

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    Many seasons had passed now since Ascension had "gone searching," and now the memories of his past dimmed like vague fireflies.  He hadn't seen Tenchi or his friends in years, and he began to wonder if all this time roaming would amount to anything.  He had been scouring the country of South Africa for Ancient Relics that might possess great knowledge of reality and existence, however with no such luck.  So long it had been this way however, that his only wish was to go home, where ever that may be.  He stumbled one day upon a small village just off the "Cape of Good Hope."  His intuition told him that something was supposed to happen here.

    For days he walked around the village, talking with the locals and seeing if he could find some connection.  Yet, more days passed and no such connection was made.  It was on the 7th day while he rested by the beach, drinking his rum and remembering his times at sea, that he saw a figure just beyond the sea shore.  He stood and squinted, looking against the setting sun, but could not make out who or what it was.  As the sun did its final dance along the horizon, it kissed a final farewell of warmth and disappeared past the ocean.  Just as last light was set, a moment of clarity was given, and Ascension stood and saw the sun's rays flash across hair like fire, and noticed it belonged to a woman floating out to sea. 

    He called for her but she gave no answer, and so he began to wade into the water after her.  The closer he seemed to get however, the farther away she would seem to float, and soon the current had taken them both far out into the ocean.  The night began to swallow them whole as the chill waters shivered up his spine and skin.  He could see a faint outline of a body just a ways off, and so swam his way over.  When he arrived he saw it was indeed a woman, and a beautiful one at that.  Her skin was pale from the cold, and her body like feathers as she floated effortlessly.  Though he could not see well in the night, he stroked back what he remembered to be vibrant red hair from her face.

    He thought her dead as he held her in the water, but as he bent over her lips to detect breathing, she shrieked and clawed, grabbing hold of him and pulling them both down into the ocean.  He struggled, but soon his fate was sealed, and he knew they would both drown... as the lights began to fade, he felt hands above water tugging at his shoulders.  The woman let go, and as she sank into the depths, Ascension heard her voice murmur clearly through the water as if a dream, "Go to the Land of Illithia, at the end of the world; at the end of all light and darkness."    

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Ember - Vitaly S. Alexius 

 Book of a Wizard - st3to

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