The Gate of Limbo

by Donovan Neal

  Argoth thought long and hard about their situation. “How long do you think it will be before Lucifer is healed?”

  Lilith shrugged his shoulders. “The thing is hard to say. Who do you know among angelic kind to have ever tended to such a wound? Have those in your realm also succumbed to war, that you would know of these things?”

  Argoth looked down and frowned. “I know not. Limbo obscures the river of time. But I do know that my realm also is in danger. I can only pray that my mission to apprehend the Lilith of my realm will ward off undue harm for my people.”

  Argoth suddenly collapsed to his knees and wave after waves of nausea came over him. “Why do I feel weak so suddenly?”

  Lilith looked at him and spoke, “In your realm has El already begun his rest?”

  Argoth shook his head as another flood of nausea came over him and he heaved phlegm from his mouth unto the ground; coughing to clear his throat. He wiped his sleeve with his shirt and spit the remnant of uncleanness from his mouth.

  “If El still works in your domain, then consider yourself fortunate. For in this realm, the presence of El hast withdrawn. And with it the warmth and life which flows from the King that sustains us all. Your spasms are a living reminder that in Him we live, move and have our being. He is Life, and even his rest shakes the foundations upon which existence rests. It is an unnerving thing to know that God is not there: yes?”

  Lilith slowly helped the angel to lay down at the base of a tree near Lucifer, and Argoth nodded. “Unnerving is an appropriate term.”

  Lilith stared at him. “I see that you are a Redactor. But your sight seems… hampered. Is the thing so?”

  Argoth had not understood why he could not fully see. It took Lilith to let him know that the place was absent of Grigori. El’s withdrawn presence impacted his powers. Or perhaps Limbo’s crossing. He just knew that as of this moment: he was partially blind.

  “Aye, I am hampered in my vision. I cannot Trance.”

  Lilith eyed the angel and spoke, “Your mind races with thoughts of concern for Raphael and your realm. I see that you had vied to lead our house. Be still my friend and let me lead you into the Trance, and we shall see what the end shall be.” Lilith-theta then stretched out his hand and offered it to Argoth.

  Argoth allowed himself to settle down. He had just watched his friend killed by one of Heaven’s chief princes: a person for whom he held the greatest respect. He now was in hiding with the injured Chief of Angels; who himself was being hunted for what he might do. And now, this one who extends his hands; was but another fashion of the angel he would have to find, apprehend, and bring back alive to avert a cataclysm to his own realm.

  Thoughts raced through Argoth’s mind. Could he trust this Lilith? How much were they really different? What differentiated this angel from the one he was sent to capture?

  Could he trust his counterpart in this realm? What would be his judgment of the actions of Michael and what had transpired? Surely his self in all realities would do and see things as he sees them now?

  “Argoth?” said Lilith-theta. “I see that a great many thoughts circle the sky of your mind. Know that I cannot answer the thoughts of your heart. I can however show you my own. Please… allow this steward to show himself faithful.” Lilith then motioned for Argoth to take his hand.

  Argoth looked at the angel and then took his hand into his.

  Lilith smiled and then folded his legs across one another placing his foot on the opposite thigh. He then placed his hand over Argoth's head as if he would anoint him. His eyes turned white and his head tilted back as if he were staring into space.

  Images then raced into his mind: images that cascaded also to Argoth.

  A moving picture now played as they observed their waking dreams. For, a mountain named Hell was alive and ravenous for the flesh of angels. And the two watched Michael weave through the intestines of the creature until he arrived deep within the kiln, where he created a weapon to fight Lucifer Draco who was seen as a beast with seven heads. A red dragon that spewed flames and under whose command legions of Elomic armies marched to destroy their brothers. Kilnstones rained from the skies and God in his great wrath expelled Lucifer and many of the Host to parts across the universe both known and unknown.

  Lilith grimaced in pain but he continued as the images marched before him unabated. Argoth watched as in his realm Lilith and Raphael fought with the former: only to die at the hands of his friend. Both angels’ eyes began to well up with tears when it was seen that Raphael’s fate was to be consumed alive by a stray kilnstone.

  Argoth felt himself grow angry; angry that the death of his friend was from the battle that ensued between the brothers Lucifer and Michael; angry because in the scale of their struggle his people were forced to remain unmoved, static and be witness to the chaos that surrounded them; angry because they had split Heaven into factions.

  And Lilith, locked with Argoth in their shared vision, knew the thoughts of his peer’s heart and spoke. “Know and understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. But know that even whilst you are here. Thy land seethes with pride to obtain a station that can never be. For while my charge here sleeps and my twin attempts to undo what can only be the inevitable; save he repents. Your land will see war at the hands of Lucifer. He will march upon the temple and yea even bleed God. But know that God hast ordained that this should be. To give space for the flowering of all his children's desires that he might know the heart of them. And even now, Raphael knows that Limbus has separated ye from he. And he will come and find thee, but you will never be the same, and the day upon which you lay eyes upon thy friend will be the last that thou shalt see him until El creates a new heaven and a new earth. But the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

  Lilith then settled from the Trance and floated to the ground and when he did Argoth stared at him with his mouth open.

  “You have seen what will happen! How can you say this and tend to this one here?”

  Lilith looked at Lucifer and replied. “This Lucifer before you now is not he who will kill Raphael. Nor is it he who sits before us now and leads angelic armies to overthrow El while he Sabbaths. No Argoth, it is Michael who marches across Heaven who searches for us, and though he hast not attempted to overthrow El. No doubt his actions are influenced by the poisoned consul of this Lilith from your realm. War nonetheless rages, for are we not split if some say I am of Lucifer and others Michael? I am glad I did not seek to lead. But it matters now not. For our actions are our own. For in your realm war will come and civil war cannot be stopped. And in my realm civil war is already here because of a contagion that is from your realm. For, who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yea, this one here shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. Do not judge the actions of those who are before you unless you are prepared to judge your own. Do you think I hide from Michael alone; for though you hunt my counterpart: thy counterpart hunts us both. Have ye not already learned the lesson that should be evident? Are ye indeed blind not to just Grigoris sight but to the ways of El. For have ye not seen enough to know that these things are but ensamples? Should you not be admonished in seeing the paths that have been taken by so many? Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Or do you deem yourself so far removed? For my Argoth will find us, and when he does: you will then be face to face with thine own face and the choices you have made in this realm.”

  Argoth was smitten by Lilith's words and replied. “I have made a grave error. I ask for forgiveness. If Lilith is the source of this realm’s contagion then I am honor bound to see it undone. I will help if I can, but my charge to bring the rogue angel back is my first cause. I am clear in my purpose.”

  Lilith nodded, “It would seem that you are indeed. But I see that you see through a glass darkly. For
example, have you even given thought on how you will escape this realm with Lilith?”

  Argoth froze. He realized that his movements since he arrived did not give himself time to consider what if he did succeed? How would he get home? He then spoke aloud his solution.

  “There is but one way to go; one place that can return me to my realm: the Gate of Limbus. And if Michael seeks Lucifer’s life to forestall what he thinks will be an upcoming and larger war: then you and the Chief Prince must accompany me. For only there can we gain advantage if Heaven seeks the Chief Prince out: only there can we truly hide from our Grigoric brethren.”

  Lilith moved away from Argoth. “You would have us brave Limbo? It is off limits for a reason.”

  “Indeed, yet it remains the only place where we can go. Where in creation do you imagine we might hide from the Grigori save Limbus?”

  Argoth waited for Lilith-theta to respond and Lilith-theta shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “It is a bold plan of yours. To take us to the domain that runs adjacent to all creation.”

  Argoth nodded, “I see no other choice. When Lucifer is healed, we must travel to the gate. There is no other way and our hope lies in him. For if Heaven is divided then perhaps we can reduce damage to her populace by leading those that would see her harm to follow. Is it possible to open a portal into Limbo?”

  Lilith’s eyes searched the corners of his mind. “I am not sure if such a thing is possible let alone desired. It is said that there are things that live within the realm. Shades and ghosts of decisions both taken and those not. We could possibly disrupt the natural order.”

  Argoth looked at him and replied, “The natural order has already been disrupted; for you talk to an angel from another dimension and the Michael of this realm hunts his own brother. Civil war if not already aflame kindles with each action we and others take.”

  Lilith sighed, “But what of El? What of his presence? And what will be our state when he awakes from his rest?”

  Argoth looked up into the sky and he wondered aloud the same thoughts now expressed aloud by Lilith and replied.

  “I pray that when he moves to bring judgment on our actions. He will not extinguish us from the realm of existence.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Janus watched as both Argoth of the Chi realm and his own counterpart began to survey the Hall of Annals. Janus Chi lightly brushed the books that were laid out over the shelves; pulling volume after volume. Each represented a tome that was the recorded acts as depicted by the Grigoric race. And as far as the eye could see: shelves lined the great room.

  “Have you been here before?” Janus Chi asked.

  “No, have you?”

  Janus Chi replied, “Neither have I, and I was under the impression the room was much more than a mere housing of collected tomes, but I should have…”

  Immediately the room flashed in a great white light and for a moment both angels were blind, as their eyes adjusted to images that faded from their view. Each rubbed their eyes to bring their sight into focus and when they looked up, there was nothing but white. White splayed over ivory and bleached in the color of alabaster. Where formerly a door was seen there no longer existed a door. No floor, nor ceiling, and naught could be seen but a small dark object which seemed like a book a mere ten feet before them.

  Argoth-Chi looked about him befuddled. “What has happened and are we still within the Hall?

  Janus-Chi shrugged his shoulders and also looked suspiciously at their surroundings, then spoke his own query out loud. “Where are we?”

  Immediately, the room flashed and colors paraded themselves across the floor and ceiling. And on each walls were panoramic views of Heaven and all of her surroundings and the two angels noted that they were in a portion of the heavenly palace that was off limits to all but the Chief of Eyes, and they could see that they were within the tower of the great mansion that was El’s house.

  A rushing wind then entered the room and a small vortex swirled from the dark book that laid within the floor.

  Argoth-Chi pointed at the tome and both eyed it as its pages flipped from front to back.

  Slowly the tome disappeared and from it formed an angel… a Grigori. But the two observers noted that he stood larger and with a build different from others of their kind, and that he possessed two faces: one black and the other white. And as he rose from the midst of the whirlwind, a tome hovered over him and a blue fiery sword emerged where a stylus would be the norm, and it invisibly moved and settled within the center of the angel’s back. And when the Grigori looked at them with his two faces, he looked at them with four eyes. And two were a blazing white, set within the black face; and the others were as dark as onyx set within the white face.

  Both angels then took a battle stance and their pens transformed into daggers.

  Janus looked upon then and stretched out his hand and their tomes were pulled from their chests and each immediately collapsed to the ground. The two volumes raced through the air into his waiting hands and Janus plucked each from the air then placed them down at his feet.

  He then spoke.

  “I am Janus of House Grigori, Servant to the Living God and now Redactor to the Sephiroth of two realms. I am the Navigator of the Way and the One for whom the Mists will submit: the Two Faced One. I bridge the gap between Alpha and Omega. I have come to apprehend the renegade Lilith of the Prime realm. You are invited to come and bear witness to the ascension of this one as Sephiroth. Collect your tomes if you would truly serve God. Or, die without record and I will give your tomes to others more worthy… now choose.”

  Immediately, Argoth and Janus-Chi crawled on their hands and knees, each wheezed as they dragged themselves towards Janus Prime and took their tomes and placed them back into their chests. They panted taking in great gulps of air as if recovering from suffocation and then bowed their heads to Janus. Janus-Chi looked up to look upon Janus and recognized that the face, while different; was his own and he spoke.

  “You… you are me?”

  Janus’s two faces nodded. “No. Janus, you are you, and I am but a choice that you did not take. But since you do not understand the way of Limbus…” Janus then shook his head. “Yes, I am you.”

  Argoth-Chi opened his mouth to speak. “Why does your body language speak different than your words?”

  Janus cocked his head in curiosity. “Does it?”

  He then looked above him and spoke, “Nebula hast arrived, and we must go.”

  Janus then spoke aloud to the room, “Take me to the roof.”

  Immediately, the chamber changed and a hallway with stairs stood to his front, and the dark robed angel grabbed the stair rail, and proceeded to walk up towards the roof of the tower. He reached the ceiling then pushed against a wooden door and stepped onto the roof of the stone tower. He walked towards a pedestal and upon them sat two floating eyes.

  A cloud then descended from the sky and slowly transformed into a humanoid figure of mist and spoke. “Welcome, Navigator of the Way. Raphael and I have been expecting you.”

  Janus tilted his head in both acknowledgment and a show of respect but remained silent.

  Both Argoth and Janus-Chi had also made their way to the roof, and they too bowed in respect when they saw Nebula. “Are we come to witness the Trance Nebula?” Argoth-Chi asked.

  Nebula sighed, “No, Grigori. You have come to bear witness that this one here… will become Sephiroth and will herald House Grigori into war.”

  Both Janus and Argoth Chi looked upon Janus with opened mouths in shock.

  * * *

  Lucifer-Chi circled Raphael, and the angel floated motionless as the Chief Prince paced around him.

  “Do you know where the trespasser is?” Lucifer asked.

  Raphael-Chi nodded, “I do.”

  “So then you acknowledge that he is a trespasser?” said Lucifer.

  Raphael-Chi smiled and eyed Lilith Prime. “I admit that he is no different from this one here; one, who has trav
ersed the gate of Limbo, while this to your side claims to be Grigori, but in truth, is a manipulator here to serve his own ends. At least the traveler that I know honors our King. I also acknowledge that he serves El, as do we all. Or have you forgotten whom you serve?”

  Lucifer winced at the remark. “I am very much aware of my responsibilities, both to the Lord and to the kingdom. And I will not see it sullied with infiltrators who come to do the realm harm.”

  Raphael tilted his head in surprise and spoke softly. “Do you think that your handling of me honors God?”

  Raphael then turned to see Michael with his head down and spoke to the Prince of Kortai. “And what of you Michael… will you stand by and watch this travesty of justice? Will you be complicit in this act? Or have you also joined in the suspension of the Parliament of Angels, that you would follow this rebellion that even now has time to be stopped?”

  Michael was sullen and put his hand on Lucifer's shoulder and whispered into Lucifer’s ear. “Brother… a word?”

  Lucifer eyed Raphael and followed Michael where they could speak out of earshot.

  Michael opened his mouth to speak, and he carefully measured his words. “Brother, he is Lumazi. Raphael has been appointed by God himself to lead the Grigori. If we continue in this trial, I dare say we risk fracturing the Lumazi. Have not enough breaches been incurred already with the Schism? Would you see us create a rift even further than our current separation from the Seraphim and Ophanim?”

  Lucifer looked at Michael and his face grew stern. “I am the Chief Prince. I stand in the stead of God whilst He rests. I will not see Creation tainted with foreign influencers who seek to tear down our realm. I am the Chief Prince and I too am also appointed by God. My will is law and if Raphael continues in his defiance. I will strip him of his title and give his house to another. And if his title is not enough to release the truth from his lips, I will see him to the gates of dissolution and feed him to Hell. You are either for me or against me. Or do you seek to challenge me in this thing?”