Legacy of Judas - Book One

by Aragon, Christian

  “The gentleman said you each look like you could use something to whet your appetites …”

  “What gentleman?” Vic asked as she was as confused as we were.

  The waiter grinned politely to cover his own confusion over her question.

  “The gentleman standing next to you, Miss.” And miss him we did! We both quickly looked over Vic’s other shoulder and the site of him gave us pause.

  The waiter exited the room, we were left there with one of the biggest, most stoic, and ominous-looking Mexicans we had ever seen. His hair was well groomed, longer than shoulder length and jet black with wisps of grey. His stern face was pitted and wrinkled, and full of character from age and experience. He had a mustache which could almost be considered a Fu Man Chu style, but full without being out of control bushy. In all ways, even under his fingernails, he was obviously clean and well groomed. As with Rhonda this man wears layers of scents all obviously tailored to his body chemistry specifically. His attire was somewhat conformed with our surroundings; white dinner jacket, open, with no shirt of any kind underneath, and white Egyptian cotton trousers which stacked atop his bare feet, which were easily as clean and groomed as the rest of him. The open dinner jacket showed off the majority of his chest and belly, which were mostly covered with a huge tattoo of a woman wearing a sombrero.

  Where the hell did he come from? We didn’t see him enter the room and he certainly wasn’t in this room before we got here. We checked for that. Suddenly a big, friendly smile cracked wide open across his face …

  “Relax, Victoria. You too, Azeeza. No harm will befall any of you this evening. Especially not here.” His accent was apparent and his voice a little rough and a bit low in tone, but it certainly didn’t make him difficult to understand. The single disturbing detail about him; he knew I was there. Was this Malus?

  “No, Azeeza. I’m most certainly not Malus. Now please relax. I have some of my favorite red wine on the way and the complimentary bread here is gourmet and wonderful. Let’s chat, eat a bit, and decide after some good conversation if we’ll order dinner. Is this okay by you, Victoria?” We cautiously took our seats and were transfixed on our mystery host as he waited till we were seated to take his place at the head of the table.

  “Who are you?”

  “HA! All in good time, young lady. Now please, you have no justifiable concern this evening over Malus, and I’m betting even Azeeza and the souls who inhabit the Book of the Damned would like to partake of this food? I highly recommend the seasoned olive oil and vinegar; it's amazing! But if butter is your thing you can't do better than here without visiting Pennsylvania.”

  I could see this man as clear as the crystal the water was in. As such I could not presume him to be of Heaven, as it's those from Hell we're typically able to see without any problems, but his manners and mannerisms were definitely not of the demonic type. Who was this man, and what was to be happening to us?

  “Victoria,” he said as he tore pieces of bread and popped them into his mouth saturated with the oil and vinegar he touted, and then took the time to wash it down with one of the most expensive red wines in the restaurant.

  “You have the Book of the Damned, and that book was never meant for mortal eyes. Now, I’m not here to take it from you, that is completely out of my control just as it it's out of Malus’s control. I’m here to simply find out one piece of information from you, and, possibly give you some information you may need.”

  Who the fuck is this guy thinking we’ll give up information or that we need information from HIM?! And just as I thought those words his gaze momentarily stole away from Vic to me, and then back to Vic. She was understandably cautious with her words and had been keeping one of her legs out from under the table in case she felt the need to bolt.

  “What is it you want to ask me?”

  “Victoria, do you really understand the complications which have arisen from you not only having that book, but also from practicing the information within it?”

  “I understand my ass might be on the line because I have it. I also understand I didn’t ask for this book, but nonetheless it is in my possession, and because of that I will do what I need to in order to stay out of an eternity of damnation and find Vincent.”

  “That, young lady, is the answer I expected, but it's a very small-minded response.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Victoria, y’know how in the movies or in so-called ‘legends of old,’ or even in the Bible, there’s always some sort of prophecy stating that someone is going to do something or something is going to happen and the world will be better or worse for it, or whatever the circumstances call for to get people to take notice and listen?”

  “Yes ...?”

  “Well, this isn’t one of those prophecies. In fact, this is an unprecedented circumstance which has even managed to catch me off guard.” Wait a minute; I've expressed nearly that same exact statement...

  “I’m not following you. Is there a point here or are you just setting me up for something?”

  “No. No. No.” he giggled, “Truth be told, you’re the one setting yourself up. What I’m talking about here are two things that I’m quite the expert on; Choice and Change. Everything we do and experience is because of choice, change, or both. You have some of the greatest choices and changes in the history of mankind to look forward to because of what you possess. I’m here to just give a bit of guidance, which, by the way, I usually don’t do without being asked. I’m here because you’re in a very unique situation.”

  “So, aside from cryptic you’re pretty fair at stating the obvious? But, apparently the obvious doesn’t apply to me as it does most other people.”

  “Look, Victoria, I’m not here to yank your chain or blow smoke up your ass! I have something you need and I am not going to butt into your affairs without your permission. Now how would you like to proceed this evening?

  “You’re not here to harm me or pull any bullshit?”

  “No harm. No bullshit.”

  “Let’s order dinner and another bottle of that wine. You’re buying.”

  “Yes,” he giggled, “I did invite you after all.”

  Dinner was ordered and there was a great deal of silence between our Mexican stranger and Victoria. I presumed Victoria was trying to figure out exactly what to ask this guy as well as how to ask him. Finally the silence broke...

  “I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea what to ask you, in part because I have no clue who you are, so I guess all I can ask is what would you like to tell me which would help me the most?” Just then Vic happened to glance at the floor where our mystery man had been standing before taking his seat, and then she did a double take, her brow furled a bit, and then relaxed. We only noticed his physical attributes and manner of dress while he stood still, but after Vic’s slight reaction to something below her we had to see for ourselves. We stood from our seat across from Vic and looked to the floor where he had been standing earlier. Leading back to his seat, were bloody footprints in the plush white carpet. The restaurant owner is going to be pissed!

  “That was a lazy way to get out of asking a creative question! I’ll tell you this though; you have tremendous power at your fingertips right now, more than any mortal has ever had, including the Imbued Ones. With that power and ability you also have tremendous responsibility. I am sorry for sounding so cliché, but up until now you haven’t been thinking things through much further than the demons do and that’s going to crumble your casa if you don’t start thinking about your actions and choices pretty soon.”

  “What do you mean? Isn't that what the Book of the Damned was created for; the collection of souls and the manipulation of the flesh, mind and spirit? And what are the Imbued Ones, being that you baited your rant with that term?

  “You have the ability to collect souls and put them to a variety of uses, but that doesn’t mean that you have to. You have the ability to cause incredible damage or incredible blessings, but that doe
sn’t mean that you have to do either. You have the ability to find Vincent and fight for him, but that doesn’t mean you have to, nor does it mean you’ll succeed.”

  “You need to stop right there! I haven’t any idea about how to find him, and the only reason I haven't flown to the U.K. to look for him is because of my unique situation and trying to be as prepared for it as possible. I can feel he's still alive in my heart, but that's only because someone, or something, wants me to look for him. But since you seem to know so much about all this how about if you just tell me where he’s at?

  “Because I can’t. This is your path to walk, not mine.”

  “Can't or won't? You said you weren’t going to pull any bullshit!”

  “Won't. Let me try a different approach here...”

  “I'm sure that'll be refreshing!” Victoria’s tone was more than just sarcasm, she was downright indignant. She was ready to crucify this guy.

  “First, I’ll fill you in on a couple of things Azeeza has not told you about, and she has been correct in not doing so, but it’s probably a good time for you to learn.”

  O-Shit …!

  “One thing you already know about is the Ebony Demons. You even successfully saved an entire family from one, and I really must commend you on that. It’s something I couldn’t have done. What you don’t know is Ebony Demons are everywhere. They’re only affected by the most extreme forces and are otherwise almost completely undetectable by the finite consciousness of mankind, with the possible exception of some of the Imbued Ones. It’s extremely rare that anyone is capable of breaking the grip of an Ebony Demon without a phenomenal amount of intervention. Normally it’s not an intervention like the one you pulled off, but it worked.”

  “When are you going to get to what I don't know?”

  “Ebony Demons choose their victims by the degrees of strength, not weakness, which they find in a mind, heart, and soul. Your Vincent has met just such a demon. An extremely powerful one who seeks out only very powerfully willed mortals for his prizes. If that demon breaks Vincent’s will, Vincent could replace that Ebony Demon as Hell’s newest and most powerful Ebony Demon.”

  “WHAT?!”

  “I’m sorry, but it is the truth. The good news is he has gone back to school, albeit a different one than where he was, and is still learning a great deal. The bad news is that he’s doing all the schooling under the influence of the Ebony Demon who currently infects his soul. In Vincent’s defense; that demon had a hell of a time getting his claws and tendrils into Vincent’s soul, and it still hasn't broken him to the degree it needs to in order to capture his soul.”

  Victoria now had tears welling up. Whether or not this information was true perhaps there was a better way for this guy to break the news to her.

  “I’m sorry. You said no bullshit and that’s what I’m sticking to.”

  “Why is the Ebony Demon doing this? Why Vincent?”

  “For a number of reasons I suspect; one in particular, which I know for sure.”

  “What’s that reason?” Now her tone had changed dramatically. There were tears flowing down her cheeks and her voice was breaking.

  “You and Vincent have extremely special souls. They are souls which stood the most unlikely of chances to ever meet, but somehow they did. The Ebony Demon can sense Vincent’s soul is a very special one, but it’s Malus who probably knows why the soul is special. Most likely that’s why he has Vincent at a different college and continuing his education. I don’t believe he’s quite sure what to do with that particular soul yet, and he needs to keep him reclusive and away from surroundings where he feels comfortable and safe, at least until the demon figures out how to finish breaking him. I also suspect he believes its Vincent who currently possesses the Book of the Damned, or is somehow close to the one who does possess it, but because of the rules God laid down concerning that book, Malus can’t do anything about it yet. Victoria, depending on the choices you make, the changes Vincent could experience may make things better for him, or worse. It's actually a good thing you didn't follow your first instinct to go hunt Vincent down. This isn’t some silly horror movie with teenyboppers running amok from some Hollywood monster, and you recognized that in some way, shape, or form. At the cost of your own feelings you’ve chosen to think this through and be patient. I believe your unique soul has provided you with such temperament. Good thing too! The Ebony Demon would've been tipped off upon your arrival as he’d be able to sense how special your soul is as well. That's just too much coincidence, even for a demon.”

  “My soul? What's so special about my soul?”

  “For the same reason I've avoided telling you about the Imbued Ones I cannot yet tell you about your soul or Vincent’s. You have choices to make first.”

  “That’s what you meant about choice and change, isn’t it? Whether or not I pursue all of this is my choice, and therefore the changes that come about are mine to bear … alone?”

  The Mexican only nodded his head and continued his lesson. I was listening to every detail flowing from his mouth looking for any lies or deceptions, but I was unable to find any thus far. There were only those things he was holding back.

  “What else should I know?”

  “I can say more than likely you received the book because your soul is so different from almost all others. Your soul and Vincent’s soul are the only two in existence that are as they are, but there’s greater concerns here to discuss, namely, a force described within the book which has never been successfully created in Heaven or Hell. That force is called the Trinity Being. More specifically, in Heaven they’re called Trinity Angels and in Hell they’re called Trinity Demons. There is no mention of them in the Bible, or other writs or scrolls from biblical times, and for good reason. It’s one of those things Humankind simply shouldn’t know about. The problem is that the Trinity Demons are mentioned in the Book of the Damned when the angelic and demon-speak are given the correct combination and that’s not knowledge any mortal should have.”

  “I’ve read the Trinity Combination Command, but because I don’t have all the elements it’s not one that I’ve bothered trying to create. The book only describes the command and what’s needed for manifestation…”

  “Yes and its best if you leave it just as ambiguous and didn't attempt to find out more about it. Simply put though, if a Trinity Demon walked the Earth, just one mind you, in the course of less than only a few years, that demon would use the combined intelligence of the sum of its elements to bind the souls of the population of this planet to Hell. With that type of unbalanced exodus from the mortal realm to Hell the rulers and demons of Hell would have enough combined strength from all those souls to do something they’ve only imagined...”

  “Overthrow Heaven?” How cute. Victoria thought for sure she was getting one step ahead of the Mexican.

  “Far worse! The demon in control of Hell when that happens could derive enough strength from all those souls to cross over into any realm, any dimension, and any other civilization in the heavens above and enslave them as well.”

  “That one Trinity Demon would be completely visible to everyone because of the elements needed to create it, and though it could be easily targeted there is no weapon made by mankind, or any other mortalkind, now or in the future, that would stop it. That beast would be Armageddon incarnate for every civilization in existence.”

  “What about the Trinity Angels? Couldn’t one of those stop it if one existed?”

  “Yes, but Heaven will not attempt creating one.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Have you ever heard the concept of the Single Sacrifice?”

  “I don’t believe so ...”

  “It goes something like this; if by killing one innocent person you could save the lives of hundreds or thousands or millions of people, who may or may not be innocents, would you commit the act?”

  “No. I wouldn’t. If you are who you're trying to convince me you are you know I can't do that and you
know why.”

  “Yes, I do know about that about you. My point is that Heaven may resist making the choice until it would be too late. Heaven would not be Heaven if it even risked taking the life of an innocent for any reason. I’m sure it’s been considered, but ...”

  “Well, as I read it, there’s no chance of Hell creating a Trinity Demon because they can’t get all the ingredients together in one place. So there should be no reason to worry about this.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  “What else do you want me to know about?”

  “There’s another force very few in Heaven and fewer in Hell have ever known the truth about. It’s simply referred to as The Chronos, and they cannot be stopped. You’re gonna be getting plenty of details about them. Because of your Unity command and enlisting the Purgatory soul, Evelyn, you’ve changed the linear span of your mortal life. I’m certain you’re going to be getting a visit from the Alpha of the Chronos whether you want it or not.”

  “What do you mean they can’t be stopped? Why hasn’t anyone heard of them before?”

  “Everyone has heard of them, but they’ve always been described as something much different than they are. But this is not a subject which is as detrimental to you right now as the other things you potentially face. You'll know the Alpha when you see it.”

  Dessert was now being served yet no one had ever stopped the conversation to order the creamery or confectionary creations. The waiter served Vic’s favorite and she had never said a word about it.

  “Victoria, the greatest dangers that lie in wait for you are not the Chronos, the Ebony or Trinity Demons, or even Malus himself; the greatest dangers laid out before you are the changes which could happen because of the choices you’ll need to make due to your possession of that book. I wish I could tell you how all of this was going to turn out, but I can’t. Your future is yours which blinds me from being able to look ahead. We did that for all of Humankind.”