by Andrew Gille
“Greetings Lucifer,” Gabriel hailed his high commander.
“Gabriel, the archangel herald, for what reason has Os sent you to my palace?” Lucifer grumbled, looking out onto Excarian City and not directly addressing the archangel.
“I came at the behest of Os to announce the arrival of Shalos to your palace within the hour,” Gabriel declared.
“Shalos, is coming to visit me? What does he want?” Shalos was The Son of Os and was a useless figurehead. He’d never done anything and spent most of his time whiling away the hours behind the walls of Os’ palace in The City of God. No one knew what he did, or for what purpose, of course, the legends said he had defeated the Colossal’s beasts, including the powerful dragon Tiamat, however, many were beginning to think this was an apocryphal embellishment of some tall tale told by Os at a feast. Many were beginning to doubt his worth and if he’d ever been useful.
Gabriel replied to Os question, “All are concerned because you left the ceremony so quickly, he’d like to make sure everything suits you well. Following your conversation he’d like you to accompany him to Os’ new physical world, to see it and to witness the human beings in their native environment,” Gabriel said.
Lucifer knew now that he had made a grave error in leaving the ceremony, Os now knew something was amiss. He’d sent Gabriel to see if he would confide in a fellow angel and after Gabriel had failed, Os was sending his own useless son, who never left the palace, to speak to him. He had tipped his hand to Os, allowed his emotions to betray him and here were the consequences. He should have smiled and volunteered for the first job helping the human beings. This would have been the way to ensure that Os was never aware of his plans and to gain insight into the dealings of the human beings. Now Os knew that Lucifer felt negatively toward them, he sent these surrogates to probe Lucifer’s mind and gain any advantage he could.
He would not allow this to happen again. It was time to suppress his thoughts and feelings, he cordially shook Gabriel’s hand and smiled, “It was only that I was overcome with emotion following the announcement, I had not expected such…incredible news. Amazing are the works of our Lord, I have seen many a wonder and am still unceasingly amazed by our great and powerful ruler. I did not want the angels under my charge to see me lose control, to see me unable to control my emotions before them,” this part was correct, he did not want them to see his emotions, but it was not elation and wonder that he tried to hide but seething anger and rage.
“Understandable brother,” Gabriel replied, “I preparest the way for our Lord.”
Lucifer hated when another angel referred to Shalos as “The Lord.” Os was perhaps understandable, but the two who lived in luxury within his palace, doing nothing to better the realm, sitting around in there resting on the laurels of a battle fought long ago for which there was no proof, did not deserve this title. The victors wrote history and all witnesses aside from the three that lived in the palace had been destroyed. Lucifer’s intuition told him that Shalos and Entera hid somewhere in a recess of the realms and waited out the battles while Os dismantled the Colossals single-handedly. He was the only one who Lucifer could see battling and defeating them. If the other two had fought and defeated the Colossals, they had done nothing since.
His first order of business after assuming control of the heavens would be to destroy Shalos and Entera before Os and the rest of the hosts of heaven to show his power. They were revered and worshipped as gods alongside the only being with legitimate powers that sat upon the three thrones of heaven. It would send a message to the rest of heaven to crush their life force out before them and show that the old gods were a weak lie and the brand new god had abilities beyond what any had ever imagined.
Shalos did not bother to fly like an angel but instead appeared from a teleportation spell. Lucifer did not know this trick, merely because he had not had the time to work out the equations, undoubtedly it was not difficult, and Shalos did this solely to appear superior to him. When he became king of heaven he would not put others through this insufferable ritual of sending a herald before him, he’d just appear, if others weren’t ready for his presence, they could drop their inane activities to bow to him.
He would observe protocol this time, Shalos teleportation circle appeared on the floor of Lucifer’s balcony. He dropped to a knee as Shalos appeared before him.
“Greetings, arch seraph, high angel of the heavens Lucifer, I, Shalos, son of Os stand before you, you may rise,” Lucifer thought this greeting pompous and redundant. Shalos meant “Son of Os” in the ancient angelic language that as the oldest angel, Shalos knew he spoke, he was irritated at the condescension but rose according to protocol to receive the son of God in his home.
“Shalos, my Lord, I am humbled by your presence and welcome you to my Excarian City palace, I hope you will find it every bit as comfortable as your home in The City of God. Indeed, while you are a guest here, make it your home,” Lucifer choked out the pandering words, saying them made him boil even more inside.
“Your palace is beautiful Lucifer, I have not laid eyes on a more finer domicile outside of the home of my father in The City of God,” Shalos complimented the arch seraph genuinely. He stood on the balcony. His thickly muscled body contained within brilliant white robes adorned with the symbol of Os and topped by a head of shoulder-length hair and a well-trimmed beard. He looked very imposing, standing there, but Lucifer knew that looks meant nothing in the world of angels. Lucifer’s frame was thin but very well-defined, sinews of muscle and striations flowed down his form and angels who appeared much more massive than him, such as Michael, the archangel, were in fact much weaker.
“Also I encountered your archangels in the forests of Nibiru, I relieved them of their duties of collecting the Innix trees and delivered them myself to the city of Cibolia on Veritas.”
“Thank you my liege,” Lucifer remarked.
“Why is it that you seek this wood? Most angels avoid it and its weakening effects,” Shalos asked.
“The effects are so subtle, my lord, one of my power can barely feel it, however, right now I have been remodeling the Temple of Os in Cibolia to have its entryway made of Innix. When one steps from the entryway into the cathedral, they will feel the invigoration and a lifting of weight from being away from this substance which does weaken us. It will be as if they are in Os’ presence.”
“Interesting application Lucifer,” Shalos commented, then changing the subject he continued, ”Gabriel has informed me that after the announcement my father made, you were so overcome with emotion that you retired here rather than be seen breaking down after the ceremony,” Shalos stated.
Lucifer’s lie had apparently made its way around The City of God, and there was no need to contradict it now, “Your father’s creations are moving and inspire a great spectrum of emotions. I apologize if it seemed impolite, but in the face of such an extraordinary achievement, I was humbled beyond my ability to face the others and needed to be alone to gather myself.”
Shalos seemed to accept his answer, “Understandable Lucifer, his works are a wonder, and this latest creation is the greatest of them all.”
Lucifer bristled at this suggestion. Angels were the greatest of Os’ creations, but he would not make the same mistake twice. He swallowed his pride and put on a good face, “Indeed they are, I understand that you come to take me to visit these most exquisite of beings and show me the new world he has created for them.”
“Yes, Lucifer, as highest of the angels, you will take an important role in arranging the affairs of angels to ensure their service to the humans and to ensure that humans are provided what Os asks from the angels.”
The thought was repugnant. He would be serving these weak creatures? Again, he fought back the urge to tell Shalos his true feelings and lied to him, “It is my duty to your father to ensure that his magnificent plans are completed. My angels and I wait on bended knee to serve the human beings, you, your mother and your father in whatever plans
the future may hold for their kingdom and ours.”
Shalos turned to Lucifer, he smiled, “Your allegiance to my father and his plan is so evident and heartening, arch seraph, shocking don’t you think that some in your choirs are against this plan. To what would you owe this dissent that I have heard so much of?”
Lucifer wasn’t sure if Shalos mocked him or this was a genuine question,
“Well, my Lord,” he began, “Some have read an apocryphal text that calls into question the hierarchy of heaven, others have spent their lives in service to your father. They feel that he gives away his love and kingdom to those who have done nothing to earn this gift. Many are jealous of the gifts of creativity that were given to the humans and desire those gifts for themselves.”
Shalos paused for a moment, “And you Lucifer, what are your thoughts?”
“I am of course, next to you and your mother, the Goddess Entera, your father’s most loyal servant. I have pledged my life unto him and have unfailingly served him all of my existence. Like the cities I have built in his honor, the rivers I have diverged at his behest and the bridges I have built to unite his kingdoms, I pledge my undying efforts to this his latest creation,” Lucifer seethed inside saying these false words.
“Then let us go, let us travel to Earth and bare witness to his creation together Lucifer, let us lay eyes upon my father’s greatest work and let us talk about how we will ensure the success of this project,” Shalos looked into Lucifer’s eyes as he said it, his eyelids narrowed as he finished the sentence. Lucifer made sure he did not flinch as the Son of God’s eyes met his own.
“You will carry me to this new realm I assume? I am not aware of the method to which we will use Conveyance to travel to this new realm,” Lucifer said to Shalos.
“No, you will travel there adjacent to me in your own shield orb,” Shalos explained, “You must know how to travel to this realm, and I want you to teach others how to get there, to serve the humans and to witness the greatness of Os’ creation.”
Lucifer’s contempt was barely contained as Shalos spoke. Still, this was a useful skill, and he listened intently as Shalos taught him the magic which he needed to accelerate fast enough to break through the barrier between the realms. The equations he gave him worked only from Excarian City and were specific to the constellations in that area of Paradisio, recalculating them for the seasons and time were easy, recalculating this complex equation to work anywhere else would be very difficult.
“The spell, its fixed in Excarian City, how would I cast this from Veritas or Kalos?” Lucifer asked.
“In due time I will show you the method to travel to the physical world from anyplace in the Heavens,”
Lucifer questioned the restrictions Shalos put on him, but he was eager to travel to the new realm. Shalos began ascending. He always did so without the benefit of a shield orb. Again, Lucifer found this irritating and boastful. The Arch-Seraph started the Conveyance spell by enveloping himself in the protective barrier. He followed Shalos into the stratosphere of Paradiso, soon he was far above the surface, in the distance Lucifer could see Aequiss, the azure ocean world. He began speeding faster and faster. Now it was that the spell diverged from Conveyance, he cast the secondary spell which caused his acceleration to increase exponentially, he felt the heat of Heaven’s giant golden sun as he shot past in an instant, on the other side of the sun the uninhabited rocky world Trulian blurred past. Now Shalos accelerated into a glowing tunnel of light, Lucifer followed through the tunnel at incredible speeds. Lucifer could feel the power and speed, his heart rate climbed, and he began to breathe harder as he exerted the energy necessary to channel the spell through his body. Finally, they emerged into a world of stars and a large sun not unlike the one they had left. Shalos continued onward, planets traveled by as they approached the sun of this unfamiliar system. Soon they descended onto a blue planet, much like the one they had just left. As they landed on this new world, Lucifer immediately realized that things were much different than the spiritual world of Heaven.
He seemed bewildered as he took in the sensations and activities of the physical world. He tried to make sense of the community of humans and their actions as they went on with their activities seemingly oblivious to the two powerful beings in their midst.
Shalos explained to Lucifer, “We walk here in spiritual form, great powers of magic are required to interact with this world in spiritual form, both of us are capable of this, and you will learn this in due time. We can see and hear each other, but they are unable to see us even though they exist in duality. Their souls or spiritual forms are contained within a temporal netherrealm, small pockets where spiritual energy can exist within the Physical realm. All of this you will understand in time.”
Lucifer was amazed by what he saw, the humans had already evolved ideas and had created tools and techniques of which they had not thought, even in Heaven. This society while primitive right now was advancing at an incredibly fast rate. Heaven had been stagnant for all of his existence, technology, thoughts, ideas, nothing changed. New cities rose, but nothing about them was different, they were built the same way, they all contained the same sort of elements. He now realized how this would all change when they arrived. They would bring their new ideas to heaven and make it more powerful, more beautiful, and more incredible. He now understood what Os meant about these weak creatures being so powerful and incredible.
Shalos walked alongside Lucifer as he beheld the wonder of the new world. Lucifer looked to the heavens. He looked at the stars, foreign looking and strange, a single moon began to rise as the yellow sunset, washing the horizon in brilliant shades of red and orange.
“Your thoughts Lucifer?” Shalos asked.
Lucifer could not hide his amazement, “They are incredible, I could not begin to imagine Os’ plan, what he sought to do in building this world, now I understand how it will strengthen both Os and Heaven, how they will make it a grander place with their presence.”
“Yes, all of this is true Lucifer,” Shalos said as the two continued walking.
“I would suppose that you will now be spending a great deal of time here Shalos?” Lucifer asked.
“In heaven,” Shalos answered, “as here, there are lambs, and there are shepherds. These are my father’s lambs, and I am their shepherd. He has created an inextricable link between them and himself. Their love and worship strengthen him, just as their sin and disobedience weakens him. Through them, injury can be inflicted upon mhim. Their continued allegiance, their continued worship to him is imperative. I shall protect them and protect my father from any wolves that should lead them astray. But my staff shall be the last resort, only in times of dire need shall I come to their aid, only when all else has failed. Woe be to those who would lead them from the path of my father, for I shall destroy them just as I would destroy one who threatened my father or mother. The end of this world will come with my final arrival when all seems lost. When they have nearly all abandoned my father, I will come and end this world and reign in heaven as king with the faithful by my side.”
Shalos then led Lucifer to a cave where a congregation of humans was meeting. One human talked to the others, and they sacrificed a goat in Os’ name.
“They offer their gifts to my father. Their worship strengthens him, makes all three of us more powerful. These are my father’s children and his most beloved, they will make our home the greatest kingdom when they join us in heaven,” Shalos pointed to the worshippers who sang praises to Os in a new tongue Lucifer could barely understand.
Lucifer was no longer filled with rage or hatred for the human beings, no, he had great admiration for them. He saw their talents, their usefulness. He saw what Shalos meant about making the kingdom greater. He was intrigued by the notion that they beheld the key to Os’ destruction. Now instead what he wanted was their worship, their allegiance to him. He wanted to possess these wondrous beings for his own. He needed to control them, he needed to end Os’ reign and own the huma
n beings.
“They will make the Kingdom of Heaven the greatest indeed,” Lucifer said to Shalos, “I will be here more than as a temporary shepherd, my Lord, you will see me have a most intimate relationship with Os’ new creation. They and I will become inseparable, and I shall be known to all of them.”
“And I will be there to stop you Lucifer,” Shalos said dropping the presumption that they were both working towards the same goal, “You are servants, you serve My father and mother and me, you serve them, you serve each other here. Os did not create you with the capacity for rulership. Any kingdom you lead will eventually fail, you can only serve a leader, not lead yourself. Now, go, appreciate them, aid them in bringing glory on earth and in the heavens. It is their destiny, and it is their dominion over you that will make you most successful. You must realize this, and it is difficult to understand. Many decisions I have made and will make will be difficult to understand but trust in me, and you will be led to salvation. You must understand that your purpose is not to lead them, not to rule the earth, not to be king of the heavens, but to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.
At the end of Shalos’ sentence, Lucifer found himself back on his balcony. Shalos was nowhere to be found. He stared out into the lights of Excarian City. His rebellion would have to begin now before the humans arrived.
CHAPTER FOUR
Preparing for War
His palace on Excarian City contained the most extensive private library in the realm of Heaven. Here, he stored secret texts unknown to even the most studied scholars residing at the Bibliotheca Anatalia. Lucifer hoarded these texts to ensure that he was the only one who had this knowledge. His skills in the arcane were far beyond any other angel in heaven, magic involved the transference of energies from the universe through the mage’s body, it required intelligence, quick thinking, and physical endurance. The alignment of Heaven’s 10 planets had to be precisely calculated to correctly summon the energies needed for the particular spell. Constant adjustments ensured that this magic could be sustained, simple cantrips like Conveyance had been refined to the point where any angel could cast them, but Lucifer was able to cast spells that no other mage could comprehend. His skills allowed him to build many of the buildings and temples in Heaven in ways no other angel could have accomplished. Moving massive amounts of matter, helping angels raise huge stones hundreds of feet high, temporarily enhancing angels strength so they could work tirelessly until a project was complete, he was able to turn Os’ plans into the most magnificent cities. He took in knowledge from his readings so well that he could almost make it seem that he had the power of creativity that Os had, but none of his ideas were his own. Lucifer was merely able to apply what he had learned. None of the angels had access to this knowledge, and it made it seem that he himself had created these things. Despite his angelic limitations, however, he was still talented, intelligent, wise and shrewd. All of this was just a part of what made him the most powerful angel in heaven.
