Spinoff Castiel S4E1 Lazarus rising – english

-1-

Castiel sat in the forge and watched  Eloy  forge a sword. He watched as the blacksmith lit the fire, heated the metal, beat and formed the iron, cooled the mold in the water bath and heated it again in the forge fire.  Eloy  was an artist and the best in his field, having been the blacksmith of the Archangels since the beginning of the time.

No sword resembled the other. Each warrior had received his own sword. The seven leaders, including Castiel,  were also given a special dagger. He was the commander of a division.  Castiel  was proud of his military successes, even if in the last war against  Lucifer  this meant that angels fought against angels.

This battle seemed to be eons behind and Castiel  bored most of the time. Since the victory over  Lucifer  and his legions,  Castiel had not gone to war. Except for a few smaller orders between the centuries,  he had not left the sky. He spent the days training in combat, studying the ancient scriptures about creation, and long walks through the eternal halls of glory. During the nights he liked to watch Eloy  do his ornate forgings.

Angels usually did not sleep. Castiel  had a lot of time to bridge. Even though time in the sky was not linear but flowed in all directions, it did indeed passed and had to be filled with more or less meaningful activities.  Castiel  stared thoughtlessly into the flames of the forge fire.

„A feather for your thoughts, brother!“ A dark figure stood out behind Castiel.  „Michael! What gives me the honor?“ Castiel  greeted his old comrade with a narrow nod of the head. He did not bother to stand up, even though an archangel and army commander stood before him.

„You’ve become sluggish, Castiel. It’s time for a new task!“ Michael  sat down with him to get his attention. „Are we going back to battle, my prince?“ Castiel  raised his eyes. He had asked several times if he could be assigned to a warrior on Earth.

„I would rather call it a skirmish. Since Father  left his beloved creation to his own devices, people have changed a lot. They no longer fight in large associations, but much more often alone. Because they can distinguish the good from evil, separate light from the dark, they are able to fight evil almost alone.“ Michael  sighed.

„What do you want to get out of? Will this be a praise for your father’s creation or do you have a task for me?“ Castiel  moaned,  Michael always had to give theatrical speeches before he came to the actual point.

„He is also your father! So keep your tongue out! You know the prophecies?!“  Michael said more than he asked. „Of course. I know every word that  Father has given to men,“  Castiel  replied firmly.

Michael rolled his eyes. „That was a rhetorical question. I know that you study the scriptures of creation daily. And  Father has given us  all the word!“ Castiel  became impatient. „Yes. Get to the point, great warrior. Otherwise, the battle will be fought before you have spoken the last word!“

Michael laughed out loud. „Well your humour hasn’t in any case fallen victim to inertia!“ He sighed affectionately. „So good. Stormy times are dawning,  Castiel! Not to say we are heading for the apocalypse. The first seal was broken!“

Castiel sharply simmered the air. „A new war is imminent if we do not avert it! What do I have to do?“ He rose from his armchair and began to run up and down. „First of all, you must free a soul, the soul, from hell.“  Michael  remained vague.

„When a righteous man sheds blood in hell…“ ruminated Castiel. „Only the righteous man who broke the seal can finish what he began…“ he breathed.  Castiel  quoted from the prophecies. Michael  smiled. „Corinthians  17, Bible of Hell, the rise of  Mammon.“ Castiel  shook his head. „Revelation of  John,chapter 23, the rise of  Lazarus!“

„So good. We are talking about a  demon hunter with a family tradition. The family is called  Winchester. When the eldest son was dying, the father  sold his soul to none other than Azazel to save him. “ began  Michael.

Castiel nodded. „An old acquaintance! Well, let’s give the family back their father!“ Michael  shook his head. „Wait. It goes further.  John Winchester  is languishing in hell so his son can live. When the younger son died, the elder son, the same one,sells his soul to the King of the Crossroads to save the little brother. But Lilith now holds the contract.  “  Castiel  tilted his head to the side. “ So I’m going to get the older son?“

This time Michael nodded. „Right. Dean Winchester.  

And you won’t let him out of sight until he finishes it,“ Michael admonished  him. „Oh no. You can forget that! I’m supposed to play babysitter?“ protested  Castiel.

Michael shrugged. „These are the instructions! You also asked to be assigned to a warrior. The wars on Earth are now being fought asymmetrically. That is, every demon hunter is a warrior!  The name is  Dean Winchester. Don’t forget that. You’d rather go straight away!“

With these words Michael left  the forge. Castiel  sighed  and  shook his head. He has been watching people for quite a while, from a distance. With interest, but still restrained. But now he should go under them  and free a soul from hell. He had to prepare well.

Castiel put on his  old armor and armed himself. It was an uplifting feeling. It reminded him of old times. He had booked a trip to hell and had to be prepared for everything. For the hot basement he needs the ultra protection. For one thing, he had to get in unrecognized and come out again. On the other hand, its wings should suffer as little damage as possible.

-2-

The tomb, located inconspicuously on a small  clearing in a dense forest area, was  relatively easy to find. But from here he had to go in search of the soul. Souls remained connected to their former body via a delicate thread of life, as long as the body was not completely rotted or, for example, destroyed by fire.

Castiel followed the faintly shimmering trail to the Hell gates. He couldn’t just walk in and disappear with a soul in his luggage. He had to find another way into it.  He imprinted the signature of the thread of life and sought another entrance.

Castiel knew one or the other loophole from his studies and would have to resume the trail from there. Once inside, he immediately got a burning feeling. His wings just  weren’t made for the heat down here. The armor did not provide sufficient protection as he had hoped. He had to hurry up now.  

It was not difficult to find the faintly shining thread. Even if it down here wasn’t the only one,  so it  was individual. Castiel  followed him to a heavy iron door. He unlocked the lock and opened the two wing doors in a buoyant manner.

The sight that presented itself to him was horrible. He had ended up in the torture chamber of hell.

Next to a stretch bench stood  Alastair, the Grand Inquisitor of Hell, looking up from his work. „Castiel, my brother, what gives me the honor?“ he flattered the angel. Castiel  shook in disgust. Alastair’s  voice sounded to him like a screeching scratch behind eyelids.

He let his gaze wander through the room and discovered the soul he was looking for. He pointed to it. “Dean Winchester  must return. His work is not yet done.“ Alastair  laughed gleefully. „Why should I leave you my best torturer?“ Castiel  shrugged. „Because it’s written like that. Even you cannot stand against fate.“

Castiel was surrounded by several demons. The space down here was limited, so he could not use his sword in the torture chamber. He pulled his dagger and went into defensive position. Then two things happened at once. Alastair fell to the ground, hit by Dean’s  fist at the temple, and  Dean  jumped towards  Castiel.  Both now stood back to back and defended against the Demons. While  Dean defended himself with one of  Alastair’s knives, Castiel  pulled  him further and further towards the exit.

When they both reached the long aisle, they weighed the heavy iron doors and locked the door from the outside. That should give them a head start. Castiel  pulled  Dean behind him and urged a hurry. The moment he  reached the small gap through which he had come in and left hell  with  Dean in tow, he was holding his soul in his hands.

Castiel had never seen anything like this. A radiant light that shimmered gold and green and pulsated slightly reddish. The soul was not pure, but honorable. She was not innocent, but  righteous. She had been injured a few times and yet she had lost none of her radiance. This individuality made her so beautiful for Castiel.  

He scolded himself. „Nothing like getting out here!“ His wings hurt and the armor felt like a one-man sauna.  The soul had to return to her body as soon as possible.   The mortal remains, which  Castiel had to reconstruct first, lay in the small  tomb on the clearing.

The light in his hands pulsated, it nestled in his hands. When he reached the grave, the pulsating intensified.  Castiel  was instantly flooded with light and heat. The feelings of the soul flooded him and burned into his memory. ‚Feelings…‘ He would think about it later. He now had to act quickly to reunite soul and body. It took time and effort.

He had to completely restore the body, which had been lying in the grave for four months and had been crushed by the Hellhounds. Only in this way could  Castiel  prevent the soul from being absorbed by himself. Angels did not possess their  own  soul, because  God had created them out of light.  Thus  it was possible for  a  human soul to perceive the angel as an empty body.  

Castiel united soul and body; he  brought the light back into the world. For the first time, he realized the significance of this image.

Through the power of union and deceit in death, a part of the heavenly power burned on the weak human body. He inadvertently left a scarred handprint on his left upper arm.

The soul had also left a formative impression on Castiel.  The name ‚Dean Winchester‚ was  now burned into his feathers. From  then on, he was responsible for this man. The heavenly warrior  Castiel  had a human warrior by his side. They would fight together against Lilith as God’s soldiers.

Castiel brought the man back to life and awakened him. Now he had to wait. The  demon hunter had to   fight hard for himself on the way to the surface.

Castiel was exhausted and sat on a fallen tree. He began to drop off parts of his armor. It was not to be assumed that he needed them now.

He spread his wings, stretched them and beat them a few times. With a snap of his finger, Castiel  wore his suit again, which he usually dyed white. Here down on Earth, however, he opted for dark blue.

He made the discarded armor, including the sword and the belt, disappear. He kept only the angel’s blade, the division dagger, with him. And he was waiting for Dean.

-3-

18.09.2008 Pontiac, Illinois

After seemingly endless seconds, finally a sign of life. First  Castiel saw one hand, then two, then the head followed. The hunter had dug himself from his grave into life and into freedom. A first powerful, saving breath echoed powerfully over the clearing.  Castiel  nodded contentedly. He looked at the man. He didn’t know why, but for him  Dean Winchester was one of his father’s finest creatures. He watched the demon hunter for a moment. He was of  sporty, muscular  stature, had darkblonde,  short hair and bright green eyes with  small golden speckles in the middle towards the iris.

Something stirred in  Castiel. His feathers trembled as if they remembered. At a glance, a touch…

The hunter looked around in disbelief. There was devastation around his grave. There was no tree in a huge perimeter. They had come down in a circular and uprooted manner. „What the hell?“ „Nope. Other direction,“  Castiel  replied promptly. But the hunter could not hear him.

Dean felt a breeze and looked around again. When he could not discover anything, he shook  his head and set out on his way to civilization. He walked an eternity under the hot midday sun  on the boiling tarmac. Castiel  followed him. They reached a gas station, whose shop was closed.

Dean wrapped his shirt around his fist and smashed the window in the door. So  he  gained  access and looked around. First, he  took  a bottle of water from the fridge and emptied it on one shot. He packed chocolate bars, a porn magazine, beef jerkeys and water bottles in a bag. Then he went over to the till and took some money out.

Castiel wanted to talk to the demon hunter as soon as possible. A first contact was now offered. But  Dean Winchester couldn’t  see him.   Castiel  began to speak to draw attention to himself.

First the small TV jumped on behind the cash register, then the radio on the counter. Dean  became skeptical and began to spread salt on the windows. However, he had to hold his ears, so much  was Castiel’s  voice. Window panes shattered, glass shattered,  Dean fell to the ground. Castiel  gave it up. He had to try differently.

Dean tried to reach Sam  and  Bobby in a phone booth.   Sam’s  number didn’t work. Bobby  didn’t believe him and gave up every time. Dean  looked around and discovered an old car. He closed it briefly  and drove off. Castiel  stood in the shop and looked after the car driving away.

He took a step in front of the gas station and prayed. It didn’t take long and he noticed a familiar sound of flapping wings behind him. He turned around. „Michael! Thank you for coming. I need your advice.“ Castiel  nodded to the Archangel.

„How can I help you? Is the Winchester boy doing well?“ Michael  tilted his head slightly to the side. „No, it’s not going well. I can’t make contact with him without breaking the windows or obviously giving him pain. He can’t bear my voice,“  Castiel said.

Michael pondered. „You will need a human  vessel.   Someone who is willing to carry you in himself and who is strong enough for it. You know  we  need human consent ?!“ Castiel  nodded. „Thank you.“

Suddenly, he felt Dean  was in danger. „Sorry, I have to go! Dean… “ He was gone. Michael  did not wait and returned to heaven. He knew that the problem was in good hands with  Castiel. He would beat and win this battle for heaven. As he always did.

Dean had gone to  Bobby.   Castiel  watched as  Bobby tried to stab Dean. He was a good fighter, he noted casually. Bobby  was not a danger to the hunter. Surprisingly, Dean  had  a silver knife in his hand and cut himself in the arm. Castiel  registered two things at the same time: he found  Dean’s  muscular arm extremely attractive and he felt a previously unknown  protective instinct.

Castiel did not know where this came from. Were they feelings?

The concept  was completely new to him, it irritated and distracted him. He wanted to close the fresh wound, especially as he didn’t understand why  Dean  was hurting himself.

He hadn’t heard the conversation between the two men, otherwise he would know.

Bobby poured holy water on Dean’s face, apparently as the last test.  Dean  twisted his eyes and spat out the water that had hit his mouth. Castiel  had to laugh heartily at this sight. ‚Laughter?‘ „Holy Father! Why am I so distracted?“

Dean caught it freezing cold. A gust of wind hit him in the back and he had to shake himself. What was that? He looked around. He  looked at Bobby  inquiringly. „Here it moves somewhere. Have you closed all windows and doors?“ Bobby  shrugged.

Bobby and  Dean began searching for Sam.   Bobby had lost contact with him after  Dean’s  funeral. Since  Dean knew his brother well, the search did not take long. He had the GPS of  Sam’s mobile phone switched on via the telephone company and was able to locate the mobile phone.

Castiel didn’t like the fact that there was a brother. „Oh,  Michael! You forgot to mention that they are brothers!“ groaned  Castiel, looking to the sky. „Brothers always make everything complicated! The best example were  You  and  Lucifer. “  He saw  Dean  and  Bobby driving away.

They visited  Sam  in his hotel room. It was not difficult for Castiel  to follow them.

When they arrived at the hotel,  Sam  had just a ladies‘ visit. He  also reacted in disbelief to his brother’s return and attacked him with a knife. Castiel  was alarmed, but  Bobby  walked in time. Dean obviously didn’t want to hurt Sam,  so he didn’t resist too much.

‚After both,  John  and  Dean Winchester had struck a deal with a demon, the family shouldn’t be completely alien to the concept of returning from the dead!‘ thought  Castiel. Why did they react so skeptically? He still had to learn a lot about people.

Castiel observed the guesswork around the return of the hunter. If he wanted to bring light into the dark, he had to look for a vessel, otherwise he could not communicate with people. And at least he had to talk to Dean  urgently!

The boys went to a friend of Bobby Singer,  Pamela Barns, a medium. Castiel suspected nothing good. The welcome was warm. He waited to see what Pamela would do.

Without further ado, she placed a black blanket on the table and placed candles in the middle of it. Everyone was sitting around the table holding hands. She carried out a seance and asked  Castiel  to show himself.

„I summon you, come before this circle! “  intoned  Pamela. „I summon you, show you in front of this circle!“ she continued. „I summon you, show you to me!“

„My name is  Castiel. Turn around! “ he replied. “ Show meyour face! “ Pamela asked him. “ No. Turn around!“ pleaded  Castiel. He suspected she would not bear his sight.

Pamela continued to speak and commanded him into the circle of incantation. Castiel  couldn’t prevent it now. He was powerless against the ban. A completely new feeling as he learned.

Pamela cried out in pain. She had not endured his sight. Her eyes were completely burnt out, blood running out of the empty eye sockets. The boys immediately called an ambulance.  Bobby  accompanied  Pamela to the hospital.  Castiel  was so sorry for that. He felt  deep  regret.

Sam and  Dean went to a cafe to discuss their next steps. Castiel  followed them. The café was filled with demons. They were trying to figure out who had freed Dean from hell. But Dean had no answer either.

The brothers ordered pie and faced the demon Aku.  The demons and the two brothers realized relatively quickly that none of them knew who had pulled Dean out of the underworld.

The brothers left the cafe untroubled, as the demons were also afraid of the one who brought Dean back to life.

Castiel didn’t like the incident with the Demons. He had to set an example. Every demon should know who is approaching Dean Winchester  is of death.

Castiel entered the cafe through the back entrance and walked through the kitchen. He killed with speed, precision and without scruples. He sent one demon after another to death. He brought down a total of four. But the waitress,  Aku, was too fast. She escaped.  Castiel,  however, did not bother to chase her. He didn’t have time. He had to talk to Dean.  

Bobby was  still  in hospital with  Pamela  and  Sam  had sneaked out of the hotel room. Dean  was alone. A good opportunity to talk to him.

He had fallen asleep while reading on the bed. Castiel  looked at him for a while and repeatedly realized how beautiful the man was. Over his nose and cheekbones were freckles. Dean  had a tense expression on his face. He seemed to be dreaming badly.

Castiel tried to get in touch again. Again, the TV and radio jumped on, even the light flickered.  Dean  woke up to the noise of the devices. The hunter looked around, what had awakened him and was immediately alarmed. He jumped up from the bed and grabbed his shotgun.

When Castiel  tried to talk to him, the windows shattered; the mirrors on the ceiling of the room shattered. Dean  was littered with thousands of small shards. Blood was already running out of his ears.  Castiel  saw no way that the hunter would understand him. He also stopped that attempt.

-4-

Dean persuaded  Bobby to call the thing that had freed the hunter from hell and burned out Pamela’s  eyes; and if it had to be, to kill. Bobby  wasn’t thrilled at all. Castiel  had to act quickly. He desperately needed a shell.

The two hunters barricaded themselves in a barn and called the supposed demon. They had painted the barn with all the symbols  they  knew. Bobby  had consulted every religion of the earth and affixed all the protective symbols.

Castiel didn’t have to look long for a vessel. A very devout man was praying intensely, which  Castiel was attracted to. He asked the man, Jimmy Novak, if he could take possession of his body. He explained to him how it worked and that it would be for a likely long time.

He promised that Jimmy’s family would be taken care of. Jimmy  agreed. Castiel  had found his shell. Carefully he took possession of the body, let his light flow into the man, shared his faith, and stroked his soul.

Now Castiel could go to Dean and talk to  him. He hoped that the human shell would withstand the cosmic light and force. Jimmy  was very God fearing, his faith was strong. He was a good and strong vessel. Bobby performed the ritual of invocation. Then the two hunters waited. And waited, and waited…

Suddenly, the roof slabs of the barn lifted, the light bulbs burst. The barn gate flew open. Castiel entered the barn. Dean and  Bobby  pointed shotguns at him. As he approached, the two shot. ‚With rock salt!‘ Castiel thought to himself. He continued to approach the two hunters.

„Who are you?“ asked Dean.

„I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition!“ answered Castiel. He was now right in front of  Dean. He looked in disbelief. „Yes. Thank you for that.“ He thrust  the demon knife into Castiel’s heart. Castiel  left it cold. He didn’t mince his words. He pulled the knife out of his body and dropped it to the ground.

Bobby looked horrified and pulled out with a crowbar. Castiel  saw the movement from the corner of his eye and repelled it. He held the crushing in one hand and touched  Bobby’s forehead with the other hand. He put two fingers on him and sent him to the ground, sleeping. He turned to  Dean.  

„We need to talk,  Dean!“ Castiel  tilted his head slightly. Dean  looked at  Bobby. „Alone! “ Castiel  continued. „Your friend is alive.“ Castiel scrolled through a book that Bobby had left open after the ritual, so as not to be distracted by Dean’s sight again.  

Dean asked for the second time, „Who are you?“ Castiel  did not look up from the book. „Castiel“  Dean became angry.  „Yes,  I  thought,  I mean, what are you?“ Castiel  looked up from the book and  Dean directly into the eyes. „I am an angel of the Lord!“

„Go to hell, disappear here!“ blaffed Dean. „There’s no such thing!“ „That’s your problem  Dean. You  have no faith.“ Castiel  straightened up. He spread his impressive wings to prove to Dean that he was telling the truth. Castiel knew that  Dean would probably only see the shadow that the wings threw against the wall.

He would like to show him all the splendor of his wings, but did not know how. He wondered where that thought came from. „What kind of angel are you? You burned out the eyes of this poor woman! “ Scolded  Dean. Castiel  looked to the ground. He was saddened by it.  ‚I didn’t want her to spy on my true form. It can be overwhelming for people. Like my real voice. But you already knew that.“

Dean looked at him inquiringly. “ You mean the gas station and the hotel? Have you spoken?“ Castiel  nodded. „Buddy, lower  the volume next time,“ Dean said. Castiel nodded again. „That was my mistake. Some people, special people, can endure my true appearance. I thought you were one of them.  I was wrong.“  Castiel  really regretted it.

Dean pointed to  Castiel’s  body. „And what face are you wearing  now? Holy Tax accountant?“ „That?“ Castiel  looked down at his body. „It’s a vessel.“ Dean  was horrified. „You occupied a poor bastard?“

Castiel shook his head. „He is a devout man. He prayed for it.“ „Look, Pal,  I don’t buy you what you’re selling here. So, who are you?“ Dean  slowly became impatient. „I told you,“ Castiel replied succinctly. He frowned.

„Right. And why  would an angel save me from hell? “  Dean  doubted what he heard. „Good things happen, Dean!“ Castiel  moved one step closer to  Dean.  Dean  shook his head. „Not in my experience.“

„What’s the matter?“ Castiel  took another step toward  Dean  and tilted his head. He was now close to him. Their faces were only a few centimetres apart. He sought the answer in Dean’s  eyes. He looked deep into Dean’s  interior and a realization came to him. „You don’t think you deserved to be saved?!“

Dean swallowed. „So, why did you do it?“ Castiel  straightened up and tightened his shoulders. „Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you!“ he answered proudly. He felt Dean’s hot breath in his face and the faster beating heart.

Dean looked up and straight into  Castiel’s  eyes. For the first time, he consciously looked at the other man. He looked into a pair of  wonderfully bright  steel-blue eyes. They reminded him of the  great wide  sky. He felt a strange tingling sensation  in his stomach and blinked.

When he opened his eyes again, Castiel was gone.

To be continued…

Agnes