I don't believe, I know

"Do you believe?", or variants on that general question are asked frequently in parts of the world where the Byzantine Church holds sway. Of course, the socially acceptable responses to that question are "Yes.", "Yes, I believe." or some other variant on the general affirmation. My response is a little different, and somewhat disturbing.

"No, I don't believe in the Divine, I know."

I am aware of the arrogant tone of the response, as well as the possible confrontational approach it may be viewed as. Each time I wake up, I am reminded of the fact that the Divine exists. In very uncomfortable and painful ways.

I have a club foot. From below my right knee, whatever semblance to a normal human limb ends and a massively, severely twisted lump of flesh, bone and skin makes up the rest. To make matters more inconvenient, the girth of the limb increases as it reaches the foot end. It is responsive to all the normal range of feelings. Pain, hot, cold, etc. Why is this the proof of the existence of the Divine? Well, it isn't, not by itself. It is one small, but rather obvious part, of my rather unique heritage. Which is why I know.

Well, to cut to the chase, I am a Nephilim. Yes, a bastard son of a Angel and a human woman. I'll give you a few moments to let that sink in, and let you get over the thoughts that I am crazy, or spinning some wondrous tale full of bullshit. I have lived for over 800 years, and I shall continue to do so until the day something kills me. I am ageless, looking as I did when I reached my 25th year. My mother was seduced by a man who lusted so strongly for her, he made a pact with an Incubus to get her to lay with my father. But the way my father worded the pact permitted the Incubus not to just possess my father during the time my parents were together, but he removed my father's soul, took control of his body and created me from their union.

The club foot is only one mark, the other mark is that I am weakened by any demonstration of faith, even something as simple as a hand gesture for the warding against evil. In cases such as that, my right leg fails, and I fall over in an embarrassing manner. In more severe cases, I have almost died.

But my other father gave me some birth gifts. I have my father's ability when it comes to women. I inflame their lusts so that they want to consume them with me. While I don't possess the ability to continue the tryst until the point of death for the woman, I can wear them out enough for them to pass out before I do. But it is a rather annoying effect, one I have learned to suppress. I can walk amongst normal people, and not have the female population trying to get me to fuck them on the spot.

I have also been given the gift to stare into the windows of the human soul, the eyes, and see their greatest sin. This gives me some rather interesting blackmail material on the person so viewed, which has been very useful from time to time. I have been pursued by some rather persistent people who wanted to see me dead, and a well placed word backed up by enough information has made their lives more difficult than they made mine.

The final one was the ability to charm people with my talking. More correctly, people will believe me if I put in enough effort. Coupled with the previous ability, this has given me the chance to get out of some rather difficult places by simply talking. When you have a fucked up leg like mine, running is not an option for getting out of trouble.

So, I know that I wouldn't exist in the way I do if the Divine didn't exist. I wouldn't suffer the way I do when I am confronted with signs of the Divine's presence and belief. Every day I am reminded of the existence of the Divine. What makes it all the more depressing at times is the knowledge that I am the only one of my kind on the Earth.

I can't speak for your world, but on our world, when the Divine sent the Great Flood, it was not to wash away the evil people in the world. It was to drown all the bastard children of the Angels that broke the Divine's Law and took partners from the humans. The Divine, for reasons known only to him, made Angels fertile. Yet, there is no known offspring of a man and a female Angel, but there are many mortal women that birthed children fathered by one of the Celestial Choirs.

Before the Great Flood, Angels could go to Earth and walk amongst the people and were real. Flesh and Blood. Those that didn't rebel against the Divine's will adhered to his decree and didn't lie with the mortals. But those that did rebel, before and after the War in Paradise, did lie with mortals, and some did father children that they were not allowed. Being part Celestial, this children were larger than mortal men, and were more powerful too. So much so, they started to rise and rule over the mortals, and take them away from the Divine. The Divine grew angry, and changed the Angels. He barred them from walking on Earth in the flesh, and they could only come forth in spirit only. This also reduced their ability to effect the world, and all who lived on it, but it was deemed to be the better move. Once that was done, then the world was flooded, and the Nephilim were all killed.

But my father, without knowing it, found a way to allow an Angel to do what the Divine had stopped them from doing. Walking the Earth, and fathering a child. Luckily for everyone, the Divine has kept His promise with man, and has not sent another Great Flood to get rid of me. I have searched the world, and I have not found any signs of another like me. Maybe, if I keep a low profile, and the Fallen don't managed to get back like my other father did, then the Divine will look the other way and allow me, or us, to live.