by Jeremy Finn
“But if this is all true,” James protested, “then why haven’t I seen the slightest evidence of such huge battles between Light and Dark for the control of men and nature?”
“You have seen war, yes?” Eshaiel asked, “or heard of a government oppress its people or learned of a mass atrocity?”
“Well sure,” James answered, “but what does that have to do with…”
“It has everything to do with the Light and Dark,” Eshaiel interrupted. “They are all the results of an invisible conflict. The Dark Guardians’ goal is nothing less than the complete destruction of mankind. They hate men and revel in using them against each other to bring about their own destruction. To accomplish this end, they have perfected deceit and trickery. Did you ever wonder why you sometimes hear a little voice in your head that reasons with you or pushes you to do something you know is wrong? This is often the result of the Dark's influence. Likewise what you men call your conscience is the result of the Light's influence. The battle is taking place in the unseen realm even for seemingly trivial things like daily choices you make concerning right or wrong. Thus you can imagine how much struggle is behind the influence put into the minds of men and women in powerful and important positions. Though all men and women have the strength and opportunity to choose for themselves, the influencers can be powerful. Once one begins to fall to their deceit, it is increasingly harder to pull away and make the right decisions.”
“You mean they can speak to us without us really knowing it,” James asked with surprise.
“Yes, if speaking is the best way to explain it. Remember the Dark Guardians only need to reveal themselves when they choose to or when they wish to kill, though often times those who are dwelling in the Light can sense their presence even when they are hidden.”
“So why do the guardians fight this battle? What is your goal?”
“We struggle to free men from dark influence and control, and thus allow them to avoid a sure path to their own destruction. We do this because we fought alongside men in the old war and, more importantly, because it is the task the Father of Lights has given us. It is the least we can do after many of us failed Him and turned to the Dark.”
“Thank you for the food,” James said with a slight nod as he placed his spoon into the barren bowl before him. “I hope you don’t mind if I keep asking questions, though. For instance, you mentioned before that there are different levels or ranks for guardians. How does that work?
“It is complicated,” Eshaiel began, “but I will give you a rough explanation. The entire race of us, both of the Light and Dark, are called Elohin. This was the name given us by the Father long ago and far away on the first world after the great rebellion. Since there is now a permanent division between light and dark Elohin, we have gained distinct names. To men we are often called the Guardians of Light or the Dark Guardians, but we use the terms Malakin and Nefarin. These classes are broken down further, mostly according to our purpose or position. Some classes exist in both the Malakin and the Nefarin, while others exist only in one or the other. For example, there are certain Elohin who have the ability and assignment to be powerful influencers of men and who serve on both sides. Those fighting for the Light are called Mishrathin while those struggling for the Dark are called Shedhin. On the other hand, there are Elohin who only exist on one side, like the Elinin, who are the force behind the idols of this world. Did you ever wonder how idols could have such a powerful influence over men and lead them to worship out of fear of powers outside their own understanding? It is because there are real forces working behind those idols. They are the Elinin, and they lead primitive men to their own destruction through self mutilation and sometimes even human sacrifice.”
James sat for a moment soaking up all the information Eshaiel just dumped on him. Then he suddenly remembered something. “Did you know I was attacked by a Nefarin?”
Eshaiel nodded once.
“Well, what kind of class was he? Was he an influencer of men gone crazy?” James asked.
“No,” Eshaiel replied, “he was one of another class unique to the Nefarin. He was a Seirin, or what you would call an assassin. It seems you have had a few run-ins with Nefarin so perhaps you might have noticed they tend to take animalistic forms. Seirin usually have goat-like features.”
“Yeah,” James confirmed as he searched his memory, “I guess he did have a sort of goat-like face when I caught a glimpse of it as he was dissipating, but it was horribly twisted. Why do Nefarin take twisted animal forms?
“Actually,” Eshaiel clarified, “they once had the ability to appear beautiful, for this was their original state before they fell, but it takes a lot of effort on their part, more than all but the strongest can muster, so they usually resort to their fallen appearance. Besides, they often take the form of animals simply because they loathe men so much that they refuse to take man’s image upon themselves.”
“I see,” James said as he pondered the intensity with which these beings must hate humans. “I know this is kind of a dumb question, but I can’t help but wonder if your race sleeps or even has a home to sleep in. Do you have invisible homes?”
Eshaiel smiled as an adult would if a child asked how fish can breathe in the water. “No, you know little about the other world, so such questions are natural. We do not sleep. It is not necessary for us. As for a dwelling place, we do not have homes as you would define them. In fact, we do not really dwell on this earth. We, the Malakin, live in the space around the earth. It is not living as you would envision it, but that is the best illustration I can draw for you. I know this is confusing, but an explanation would only make it more so. You have to understand time and distance in our realm are not the same as in yours. Despite your recent advances in astronomy, you still cannot even conceive the immensity of the universe. Though our current home probably seems quite distant to you, it is far nearer than our original home, which no longer exists. The Nefarin, however, own this planet for the time being, so they dwell much closer. They take their place in the sky above. You may be surprised to know things your people hold as mysteries such as ghosts and UFOs can often be explained as sightings of Nefarin or occasionally Malakin briefly crossing into this world. And when you see a shooting star, it isn’t always a meteor blazing through the atmosphere. Sometimes it is the visible trace of an Elohin coming to earth.”
“Oh!” James exclaimed, “I saw a shooting star right before I collapsed outside. Was that you?”
“Yes,” Eshaiel confirmed.
“But why, as you said, do the Nefarin have a hold on our world? I thought they were defeated by the Light in the huge war so long ago?”
Eshaiel sighed and after a short pause explained, “You are right, we won the war, but the hearts of men are easily deceived by the Nefarin. As I mentioned before, the true battle is not for victory in numbers defeated or territory gained, but for the hearts of men. We are fighting to win them to the Light and the Nefarin fight to destroy them. Tiny seeds of rebellion planted by the remaining Nefarin spread rapidly, and once again the earth was in their grasp. That is why they often hold the advantage over us here. As more men knowingly or unknowingly side with them, they gain strength rapidly. They have a brilliant strategy. All they need to do is spur men on to what comes natural to them – selfishness, pride, anger, lust – and if anyone ever warns these men about the influence of Nefarin or the existence of the Light, it is an easy task for the Shedhin to whisper unseen lies into their minds that make them balk at such revelations like so many fairy tales.”
“Then we are doomed, aren’t we?” James asked as he suddenly wondered about the security of the choice he recently made to become a servant. “I mean, if they are stronger, they will win, won’t they?”
“They cannot win,” Eshaiel replied simply. “They have already been defeated and are doomed to destruction.”
“Wait a minute,” James said in confusion. “You’re not making sense. First you said they own this world and are stro
nger than the forces of Light, then you claim they are already defeated? I don’t get it.”
“They are stronger than the forces of Light, but only in this world, and only because the Father allows men to govern their own course. The Father was, is, and will be the ultimate victor, but he allows men to choose their own way just as he allowed my race to choose. Ultimately, many of us failed, and you are failing as well, but a single soul who chooses the Light makes the struggle of every servant and Malakin worthwhile.”
“But what if the Nefarin kill all the Malakin?” James asked. “Wouldn’t that spell doom for the remaining servants and an end to the Light on earth?”
“Again, we are not like you,” Eshaiel explained. “We were recreated with permanent bodies, do not procreate and do not die. The numbers may change as Malakin occasionally turn to the Nefarin, but Nefarin can never return to the Malakin. It is a decision made once, and irreversible.”
“But I saw Nefarin killed right before my eyes more than once,” James protested. “They dissipated into thin air.”
“There are very few things that can thwart an Elohin, “ Eshaiel explained, “but if they are struck with a weapon of the Elohin, that include the swords gifted to the servants by the Malakin or the black blades the possessed carry, we will disintegrate and leave this world. We do not die, but remain in a limbo for some time before we are reformed in our world. Once we are reborn, we are weak for some time, but we reclaim our strength slowly and lose none of our memory or experience. Thus you can see why the true battle rests on winning men’s hearts and not on our numbers. We are in an endless struggle that will only be complete when the Father determines man has culminated his time, and the Nefarin are banished to destruction.”
For a while both followers of the Light sat in silence.
“Well,” James finally began, “it looks like I’ve chosen the right side, but it also looks like my life is going to get a lot more difficult than I expected.”
“Be sure of it,” Eshaiel said without a hint of sympathy, “Your old life is lost, but the new life you have gained will be a reward far more than the burden you expect.”
Eshaiel suddenly lifted his head as if he heard something outside.
“A servant approaches,” he claimed, “and his heart is troubled.”
After mentally questioning whether he should take this as fact or not, James decided to trust his host’s intuition, and rushed to the door despite his modest sleeping attire. When he pulled the large wooden door open on its creaking hinges, he only saw the courtyard in which he had collapsed and the stone bridge he crossed beyond it. The storm had dramatically lessened, but there was still a steady drizzle accompanied by a light fog obscuring the landscape. When he was about to turn back to the guardian with a quizzical look, his eye caught movement beyond the bridge. As the object hurried across the arch, he could make out a figure draped in a long brown overcoat with a hood concealing its head. Though James could see it was a human, he could tell little more until the figure stood directly before him and bellowed in an exhausted voice, “James! I have finally found you!”
James stepped back for a moment in surprise, but his heart leaped when the man threw back his hood and revealed the beaming face of DaNyang Lomas.
“James!” he cried again, “I’ve been following your trail, though there hasn’t been much of one recently.”
“But I’ve been on my journey,” James said as he ushered his friend into the building. “I thought you would know that. Is something wrong? How are the servants at Hanasan? Is Joe alive?”
“All very good questions,” DaNyang replied breathlessly with a local accent that seemed to manifest itself more boldly in times of excitement, “but let me speak and I will soon bring light to the situation.”
After DaNyang greeted Eshaiel in a way that hinted at familiarity, the guardian took him aside and gave him fresh clothing to replace the soaked garments that appeared to have been worn for several days. After all three took seats on the floor around the low table and Eshaiel poured a small cup of steaming tea for DaNyang, the weary traveler began to reveal the purpose for his appearance.
“There is greater trouble at Hanasan Hold,” he began. “The Darkness has left, but a new darkness has appeared. The chief servants have turned on the Intercessor and those loyal to him. Well, actually six of the eight remaining have turned on him and the two who remain loyal are ignored and chastised by the six. They are virtually under house arrest.”
“What!” James burst out. “Why have they turned on him? Have they joined the Dark?”
As James questioned DaNyang, Eshaiel merely sighed and bowed his head in a manner that showed he was not surprised to hear the news.
“They have not exactly turned to the Dark,” DaNyang explained, “but they have been deceived by the Darkness into thinking their way is right and must be enforced. You are new to the Servants, James, so I don’t expect you to understand all this right now, but the chief servants have been grumbling and recently outright arguing against the Intercessor concerning how the struggle against the Darkness should be waged. While the Intercessor understands this is an all or nothing war painted in black and white, his opponents have decided compromise and seeking a truce with the Dark is the only way to end the war, given the increasing decline in humans choosing to join the Light and become servants. What makes it worse is they have been going around winning others to their cause by proclaiming freedom from the Darkness and practicing the Light while they themselves consort with the Dark and behind the scenes go against the very precepts they teach.”
“But what about the servants who have remained loyal to the Light?” James asked. “Aren’t there enough of them to set the Intercessor free and back the other two chief servants?”
“Perhaps,” DaNyang admitted, “but they are scattered. The devastating attack by the Dark was followed almost immediately by a coup by the chief servants and their followers, which caused most of the remaining servants to flee in confusion and fear. They didn’t know who to trust anymore. It didn’t help the undecided when the six accused the Intercessor of being the cause of the increasing decline in the power of the Light in this land, and for playing a role in orchestrating the raid on the hold. Please don’t think I agree in any way, but they also claimed the Intercessor practically invited the attack by allowing a traitor into the hold. That’s why they imprisoned him and charged him with treason.”
“I’m the supposed traitor, aren’t I?” James asked. DaNyang remained silent, but the discouraged look on his face was enough to confirm his guess. “Isn’t there anyone left?” James asked desperately. “There’s you, and what about Joe?”
“We couldn’t find Joe’s body after the attack,” DaNyang admitted with regret in his voice. “I guess it’s possible he could still be alive, but the chances are he was either killed and taken as a trophy, or his body is lying undiscovered in the forests surrounding the hold. We didn’t have time to conduct a thorough search before the chief servants staged their coup.”
“Well, what about the Guardians of Light?” James searched desperately for a solution. “Couldn’t you call on them to rescue the Intercessor and set things right?”
“I wish I could,” DaNyang despaired as he glanced at Eshaiel, “but the guardians have not been openly active in this land for nearly a century. That’s one reason why I was assigned to check out your case initially. The things that happened to you don’t happen very often these days. You see, the activity of the guardians in any land depends on the strength of the Light in men there. The Light has been steadily declining here, and so have instances of guardian intercession. We still have contact at times, but it is mostly concerning initiation into the Servants and the receiving of rhema.”
“He’s right,” Eshaiel confirmed, “there is little we can do to help.”
“Then what are we going to do?” James worried aloud. “There is only you and I, and I just became a real servant today!”
DaNyang sig
hed, “I’m afraid there is nothing we can do for the Intercessor now. I fear they will sentence him to death. He is being held within the hold and is scheduled to be put on trial at nine this morning. My only hope was trying to find you in time because I knew you had escaped the hold somehow just before the coup, and I thought you might know some secret way of getting in and freeing the Intercessor and the two chief servants. But now, even by airplane, it would be impossible to make it in time. The sun is about to rise ,and all we can do is grieve for him and somehow attempt to re-gather the scattered servants.”
Suddenly Eshaiel lifted his head, “Wait, perhaps I can help you after all. There is a portal here that was used in ancient times to transport servants between holds and temples of the Light. It only works at the moment the sun rises in the morning. If you are standing on the portal at that time, you will be instantly transported to the place you are thinking of, as long as there is a portal there too.”
DaNyang jumped to his feet, “Are you saying there is such a portal at Hanasan!? I have never seen anything like that.”
“You wouldn’t have,” Eshaiel explained, “because it was covered by stone tiles when Hanasan Hold was constructed over the even older structure that used to sit at that location, Bukha Temple. Even though you never suspected it, that portal has been lying dormant there for thousands of years in the middle of Hanasan’s courtyard.”
Now James jumped to his feet, “Then there is a chance. I know a way to get into the hold. There is an underwater tunnel that begins in the pond behind the hold.”
