Chapter Text
A long time ago, before harmony and life prospected in the world, humanity was on the brink of extinction. Natural resources had been depleted, hunger and pollution struck everyday life, protests and anarchy became common occurrence and thus far the world population was quickly declining. Without having a tending hand of leaders around the world, the people turned to their only hope: prayers.
They prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed, looking for anything. An answer. A secret. Comforting words. A miracle.
And for a long while, silence was the only thing that humanity got in return.
Until one day.
One holy, glory day, prayers were finally answered. An angel descended from the sky and stood in front of terrified and relieved eyes, claiming to have the answers for every question ever asked, and promising prosperity for every being on earth. And so, a miracle was cast.
Trees were blooming again, flowers and nature all around the world flourished, crops began to grow as the ground turned back to life and every living family had a fresh and big stack of food waiting for them at their home.
Humanity could be whole again, thanks to the generous help of one single Angel, Castiel. The angel of temperance.
But that wasn't enough for humans.
While Castiel was performing his miracles all around the world, humans were researching all they could find about angels. Not to show their gratitude towards the mystical creature appropriately, but to learn how to use him. The last thing humanity wanted was for the angel to leave again and be left to their own devices. After all, they were the cause of their own demise.
Holy oil was discovered. Being lit on fire, it had enough power to capture any celestial being. Not even their wings were able to stretch and fly under the heat of the fire.
The angel was captured at last. He didn't even kick and scream. He didn't fight. He didn't shear a tear. He didn't even plead for mercy. He just accepted whatever humans had planned for him, as his love and devotion for his father's creation was bigger than his self-preservation.
The angel had saved the world, but he refused to perform miracles that he deemed selfish and unnecessary. His captors were getting exasperated. What use does a captured angel have if he resisted human desires?
Until the Angel Engine was created.
It took years of trial and error, with literally blood sweat and tears thrown out in the process, but the device was finally finished: a machine capable of inserting itself in the angel’s grace and extracting it little by little. A machine capable of performing miracles for eternity.
The instant the Angel Engine was inserted in the insides of Castiel’s true form, a scream so high and loud that it could reach heaven and back was led out. The humans all around him dropped to their knees as their ears started to bleed. Unthinkable and all consuming pain radiated through their bodies. All the nature around the building they had him in died in an instant, while a handful of monsters were drawn to his call. An angel scream was nothing to be played, it seemed.
For the first time since creation, Castiel was afraid.
And he spent the next seventy-two years alone, captured and afraid. While humanity extracted his grace little by little. The angel had no idea what they were doing with it, but he hoped it was for the greater good. Maybe they were tending the sick, maybe they were reviving now extinct animals, maybe his miracles were not enough to save mankind, and they were just completing his incompetent work.
It didn't matter to Castiel that humanity betrayed him, for his father’s creations were granted with free will for a reason. He was no one to question them.
And oh, how he loved humanity.
But one day, something changed in the world. Castiel could feel it. Even with his withdrawn and altered grace, he could still perceive a change in the wave of all the souls in humanity.
The righteous man was born.
Castiel could feel him, even from here. His soul was the brightest he had ever felt. Oh, so full of humanity. So full of rightness. The closest thing to heaven he had felt in a while. He could drown in the sensation it provoked on him; safety. Castiel hadn’t felt that in a while
“Dean Winchester, the righteous man of heaven and earth, has been born” He smiled as he could hear his brothers and sisters singing and chanting in heaven, a welcoming sound between all his pain.
Castiel put his hands together and began to pray in silence.
“Father. I am not angry at you for not answering my prayers. It has been a long time since I could reach heaven, as I am still unable to do so, but the birth of the righteous man brings me hope for this world. Please, protect him. Angels have not come down to earth since my capture. As much, I am the closest thing he could ever have to a guardian angel. I see what I can do from here. I will keep him in my prayers. Amen”
As the angel closed his eyes and concentrated on the new-found soul, he surprised himself as he was able to reach Dean Winchester’s subconscious. He could feel his crying baby form even from miles away. And so, his depleted grace reached him too, calming his cries in an instant.
“Dean Winchester” He murmured to himself, not wanting his captors to hear him, “Be safe, for heaven has great plans for you. I will do my best to protect you”
And from then on, the eternal connection between the angel and the righteous man began.