by Rex Jameson
Chapter 24
The Crown Prince Returns
Lucifer sat on his haunches in a void pocket between Order and Chaos with his uncle. Less than a mile away, Jehovah’s jet stream sizzled as it collided with the translucent membrane that marked the boundary between Order and Chaos.
Batarel’s large red head hung so low that his chin dug into his black robe. His stubby horns pointed outward at Lucifer.
“I’m sorry, Uncle,” Lucifer said. “The pattern says it can’t talk directly to you. When you were reborn in Order you must have lost your connection to the Chaos pattern.”
Batarel nodded. “Since my reincarnation, I’ve been snubbed by many creatures. Humans … elves … and even demons … Finding out that my own pattern has come to reject me is more than I can handle.”
“The pattern doesn’t reject you,” Lucifer said. “It says the fates of Chaos and the Elven Realm actually depend on your knowledge and actions. You are one of the most important creatures in the multiverse.”
Batarel immediately brightened. “Tell me what I must do.”
“The demon race needs a miracle,” Lucifer said. “And you have to shape me into a legend. The pattern has tasked you with training me to become a wizard.”
Batarel pursed his lips and stroked his large fingers against his cheeks. “Lucifer, that will take hundreds of thousands of years.”
“The pattern says only one spell is necessary right now.”
“A chaos bolt, I presume.”
“No,” Lucifer said. “I need to learn how to shield.”
“Self protection against Eranos?” Batarel asked.
Lucifer stood up and walked over to the Order jet. At the boundary here, the destructive force was over twenty feet in diameter. At the deflector, deep within Chaos, it was over two hundred feet wide.
“I see,” Batarel said. “That will indeed be legendary.”
“It’s a start,” Lucifer said as he pulled his son’s teddy bear from a backpack. He fingered the black, beady eye, but was careful not to press it.
“You say we need time,” Lucifer said. “Well, that’s why we’re here.”
“Then put down the bear and let’s get started,” Batarel said as he conjured an image of a maelstrom of stars.
Lucifer was mesmerized by the churning of the galaxy-like projection. But unlike a spiral galaxy, the internal eddies became so quickly pronounced that they consumed the shape and changed its momentum.
“Concentrate on the shade of the Chaos Primal in front of you,” Batarel said. “Embrace its randomness … anticipate its next move … and then change it to something else …”
