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On Prophecies and Prophets
Written by Sailor Yavin IV
The societies of angels and demons are both very "literate" societies, concerned with reading and writing, though what the two societies write and read about is generally very different. One thing the two cultures have in common in regards to that subject, however, is the creation and keeping of prophecies. Not all demons and angels can make prophecies. In fact, the number of those who can accurately prophesy anything is very, very few. What happens to the prophet once their talent is discovered differs depending upon which race they are born unto. If the prophet is an angel, they are oftentimes hidden away for their own protection. Demons prefer that their "good" counterparts know little, if anything, about the future ahead of them, so they usually attempt to kill or capture the prophet for their own uses. It is because of this that angels keep a close guard on any confirmed prophets. The angel prophets are also generally treated with reverence and much respect amongst their race, even if they only make one such prophecy in their lifetime. If the prophet is a demon, the prospects are somewhat different. The demon lords then fight amongst themselves over the prophet, which tends to lead to many deaths amongst the race itself. The angels leave the demon prophets alone for this very reason. It is the same reason that, if a demon finds him or herself to be a prophet, they keep quiet about it until they are ready to face their own impending death, or the deaths of those around them. In either case, the prophecies are taken very seriously by both sides, so long as it was properly witnessed or documented somehow. Both races have many volumes of prophecies written down in ancient languages, and twice as many that are simply repeated amongst themselves by oral tradition. Some are cause for celebration, and some are cause for fear. There is one, however, that is well-known and equally feared by both races. This is the Ten Prophecies of the Demons' Bane. The one who first told the Ten Prophecies of the Demons' Bane was of an unusual sort, according to the records that have been found. For one thing, the prophet was not of full blood. The prophet was half-angel, half-human. While the match isn't entirely frowned upon by the angels, it isn't fully accepted by all of them, either. In any case, the angel-human was verified as a prophet when she went into a trance and wrote down these verses, forever burned in the minds of all angels, all demons... and a select few who are of a different heritage as well: Ten Prophecies of the Demons' Bane Prelude
Demons' Bane brought to life
Will kill all evil in living form
Blood will fall on it
Three times to release the power 1st
A chance to stop the Bane
Taken by a demon mistress
Her human love to help bear
The child survives; he will raise the bane 2nd
Half-demon child grows to fight
His half-brethren he kills
To cleanse his blood
He hides his heritage from all 3rd
Demon fangs and claws mark his hide
The demon lord that rises will have his chance
But, being careless, will not take it
And lose his life by it 4th
When five are sacrificed, the sixth saved and into a wife made
A demon lord with the new and anciently holy bride
Can defeat the man who
Will raise the Demons' Bane 5th*
The demon lord, having failed,
Will begin the course
To bring the Bane upon us
And leave the man standing with his bride intended 6th
Demon lies and angel love
Bring a child to them
The youngling will bring power
Or destruction for its parents 7th
Raiser of the Demons' Bane
Killed by close blood
The young Bane will flee
And leave destruction in its wake 8th
A new power granted
By fate to the Demons' Bane
Gives the youngling the upper hand
Over its elder blood 9th
A woman never dead, yet
Brought to life by demon magic
The Bane's love soon revealed
Unknowing of his betrayal 10th
The final battle
Demon father against
The child, the Bane
The fate of the world rests on its shoulders *Researcher's Note: The addition of this fifth verse is heavily disputed amongst both sides. The demons seem to maintain that it never existed, as it would give them little chance to combat the coming of the Demons' Bane. The angels maintain that the prophet wrote this down as well, but the one in charge of copying the verses for record-keeping left it out for reasons unknown. In either case, the outcome of the final battle between the Bane and the Bane's father is left unstated, and has yet to happen.