The Soothsayer - Exodus (II)

Exodus is a two parter in which the sequel will tell the plight of the Inferno.

Hell upon the Infinite Hours.

In the relinquished lands of shattered time, tempest brimstone of ebb fire, sulphur and smitten evils; the wanton figure of the mortal cripple was the first to awake from their traumatic exit.

Eilert Swane in manky mangled cavity of spit and blood stared at Hell with his swollen eyes from behind a hill of ravaged corpses from both realms had found himself waking in the meaty rubbles of limbs and blood. The skies lit with the raging triplet suns sharpened with a formidable energy of raw venereal, smelt of futile tussles and trepidation of crushing fear electrified the skin and bones. The extrangled sentential host of himself - the Fire Spirit in the form of a star drawn crucifix across the horizon of the Wall seemed to expand with vigour, its flames crawled along the aerial carpets and its proportion swelled vehemently full.

As Eilert sat between his angelic and demonic liberators; both destroyed and lingered with dying breaths, he remembered a lore he once heard when he was little. Three idiots sat beneath the falling skies and thought they had grew so large to fill up to the heaven, celebrated in joy that they will be something else than idiots had their happy brains squashed as the world ended. It was a funny story, Eilert thought, for lore were rarely about dissolution. What moral values could it impart to the young generation if destructions matter?

Eilert began a soft humming of an old German Lutheran hymn taught by Pastor Nathan, 'Christe, Redemptor omnium'. His muffed voice from the soft of his palate reached out into the bristling air, like the invisible wings of a butterfly over the corpses of the hosts and likened to the bleak taste of abandonment and alienation on the tongue of a featherless crow, cawing out the songs of gratitude and redemption to the fallen in the mire of their defeat.

'We are not bleedin' idiots.' Coughed Suicides, the Zephr in grievous injuries. He clawed his talons across the trembling soil, propping himself in a sitting position. 'Mine, mine. That drudge is fast jolly growing!' He commented as he watched the Fire Crucifix burning a distance away, shielded by the mast of corpses.

Eilert laughed and snorted, 'I think I may have pissed blood. It's true, idiots we may not be destined, but it's sure is how things like to end.'

'How's the Cherubim? Dead?' Cloaked Suicides as he tried to get up, for he knew the longer they stayed here, the sooner death becomes them. But, alas the toil of the rescue took away much of him, leaving him battered afflictions, the Zephr fell back to his weakening knees.

'By the scared and the feared, look at the size of that eldritch!'  Claimed Vvael, of Cherubim in thunderstruck, then deeply embarrassed by his spoken thoughts. 'It's shifting and Kepharel no longer could will it.'

'We are truly the three idiots here and now. For idiots watched with awe and awe is coming when the skies are falling. Not total awe though, but horrors beyond horrors. It is coming and brace yourself. It is but a nasty feeling for the skies had truly fallen.' Prepared the wretched human in fear and anticipation.

'You're reckless with words. Only the single-minded knaves fashioned the habit and their lives to tell tall tales to threaten the world, and you had the nerves and the atrocity in this hour to...' Suicides stopped short of his words, allowing them to trail in the long silence while his hand went for his heaving chest. His palpitations were crushing him from within.

'I'm what I am, remember? I hold the truth. In entirety.' Smiled Eilert unbearably that he bit the lips and his tongue so hard from convulsion that they kept bleeding. His head was whirling in swampy murk, hung heavy with giddiness.

Vvael for a moment forgotten the primary wound in his guts and went clawing for his temples, he rolled to the ground crying with nausea. He couldn't stop throwing up. Tears poured from his orifices.

'What is going on?' Cried Vvael, snatching at an invisible pain in the itch of his heart.

'It's heaven.' Said Eilert as he laid on his back and clutching his fists, attempting to tame his convulsions.

And Eilert's words came truest. There was a soundless snapping motion as if the grandest creature of the world broke its heart and died. The silence quivered and dragged the moment as the flying angels from the skies all fell to the ground and cried for mercy. The demons howled in exasperations and Vvael realised the ultimate of all horripilations combined had happened.

'It's heaven.' Realised Suicides, as he stared blankly into the space and his tears flowing. 'The angels invaded us but it was their home, it was heaven that went first.'

'It's burst.' Completed Vvael. 'It burst just like that. The paradox of the entanglement between the two planes feeding off each other came true. Without one, the other perished in order.'

'Yes. Just like that.' Muttered Eilert in quiet eulogy. 'And we are next...'

The Fire Expurgate burnt brighter and seemingly growing. It looked more like a tree in combustion than a charring crucifix. Hell wobbled for a while. The angels picked themselves up from their sorrows of Heaven's passing and prepared themselves in defensive stance. A new enemy? Lucifer? Hell shook again, split the ground and the sour warmth of the air stung their eyes. They fell back against one another. They were surrounded by the wrath of Hell itself. The Fire Spirit swelled to a triple size and continued to jet hairs of fire into the infernal skies. It was like a blooming tree of flames, blazing scorched growth into the warmth of the aerial atmosphere until the clouds hung heavily with the dripping flames. It made a sound of soft macabre at first. Then Hell hurled again, sweeping the angels off their feet. The inferno terrain cracked like a shattered mirror.

The tongues of fire tried to eat the triplet suns but they burned brightly in resistance. A cumbrous belch from the Fire Tree a distance away as if trying to add strength to consume the suns pulverized the basalt. The suns exploded violently and rained flares. They shot down like piercing meteorites, slaying some hundred angels and demons alike. The rest scurried for shelter. Soon the entirety of Hell's ceiling was devoured by Fire Fir's flames.

The angels realised that it was too late to flee as there were nowhere to take wing.

'You meddlers!' Roared Kepharel with maddeningly eyes as he found the mortal, the angel and the devil behind the carneous hill. Kepharel himself was heavily damaged from his war with the Infernal dragon, used his sword as a clutch. His entourage of loyalist followed closed behind, they were all too with tears in their eyes from the passing of the glorious Silver City, each muttering prayers beneath their lips.

'Kill them all! Annihilate them all!' Barked Kepharel in raucous dismay. Of foremost of his schemes, he hadn't plan on wiping out his homeland. The wayward bound of his ideals suggested strongly that he had to act from will now, instead of depending on the vision given by Yahweh. But it was in Yahweh's devices, that he was the chosen Epoch! How have things led to such end, where such he could no longer bring his angels home?

Ndmh, of Dominions in his battle weary form spoke out against their leader, 'It is of utmost importance that you domesticate the rampancy of the Fire Colossus! Be advice that with the growing demise that Hell could no longer wield the refuge and stand to encumber the same straits of The Silver City!'

'Stand down, Ndmh!' Ordered Kepharel, 'The Silver City... The Silver... These three must have ordinate the death of Heaven somehow. Seek vengeance!'

'Ha! Boy, just admit to your minions!' Spat Suicides in a grim laugh, 'You no longer can will your Fire Pygmy now, can you?'

To that resort, Kepharel offered no debate. His bloodied fists shook with a helpless rage as if the devil was right.

'Kepharel.' Ndmh pursued further in a firmer tone, 'Are you able to will your Fire Spirit?'

Kepharel looked at Ndmh with his fluttering eyelashes, his porcelain features splashed with the silence of his blood remained as it was, his eyes deepen with an inner confusion that he could not fathom, a suggestion of his power decline.

'Are you still in control of this war?' Asked Ndmh, drawing a step away from their leader.

Kepharel peered gloomily at the brimming star of an incinerating tree and muttered to himself, 'Surreal. This is not supposed to be it. I have the reins. I hold the truth. I am the becoming.'

'Kepharel.' Ndmh asked for the third time. 'The angels are dying. What are we going to do now? What is your plan now?'

Kepharel kept his trembling eyes, full of tears in view of his estranged weapon of destruction, now it seemed to be cause of their destruction as well. Flashes of fiery bolt rained forth endlessly, lighting all creatures in golden luster, tearing them holes in torsos and splitting limbs apart. Kepharel quivered, 'this is not how I had seethe. Not like this!'

'Kepharel!' Declared Ndmh as he drew his sword, 'I have no choice but hereby relieve you of your charge to the Hosts and commit my command in your place.' Ndmh turned to the dust embroiled angels, 'Keep your loyalty with Kepharel if you desire, for those who will not see to their own annihilation fight with me!'

Another basal agitation growled as the Fire Fir belched in its blossoming, sending burning arrows of firestorm, seeing to the massacre of the creatures in Hell. Ndmh gave orders for two dozen of hosts to surrounded the Fire Fir in mid-air, valiantly beneath their shields against the firestorm, each reached out a claw towards the Fire Fir. The Fire Fir as if expecting resistance, began to swing its overbearing branches of flaming trunks and leaves to smite the darting angels. The intensity of the angels' concentration was so severe that rain of fire bounced right off their field of focus and static seemed to be rushing to the monstrous Tree.

'No! Don't be foolish!' Roared Kepharel in desperation.

The formation of the angels cruised their energies in unison and cast serial mean-spirited waves of blinding chain lightning bolts. The Fire Fir cried in agony and seemingly cowered down in defeat as the flashes of their attacks exploded simultaneously, smashing its talons of branches away. The sizzling statics lit a dome powered by the lightning of the angels as they concentrated to spend all their strength to booster the kill.

'Stop it! Stop it!' Cried Kepharel, he tried to proceed to the formation site, but was hindered by his injuries. 'You don't understand, if it went berserk, attacking it will only make it worse!'

The chain lightning were draining all of their powers, but the Fire Fir appeared not to back down. With a roar of defiance, it rose with its wicks of spanning branches of golden flames, spun in fury and knocked the wind out of the angels. Expecting more assaults, the Fire Fir bellowed deeply in pain and cracked itself straight down to a half. It's half of fiery bastion heckled and began to mould its shape unlike the tree. It grew long limbs of fire and a dark mouth as the only feature in its effulgent appearance. It was fast and sprung towering to the angels, slaughtering them in a single blow in furious claws. It ran on fours and spat arraying liquidated flames, appearing like a giant rabid wolf. It seek out the remaining creatures of demons and angels, chewing them in hurry. The Fire Fir resumed it's stance and continued to focus on its expansion.

'Ndmh. That is pure judgment you are fighting. The odds are not on your side ' Said Oriaries, of Cherubim accompanied by Higelot, of Virtues, emerging at last in the lands of mutilated flesh.

'Judgement, Oriaries? I fear we had abandoned the dire fear of being judge the minute we've descended to Hell.' Jeered Ndmh in a mouthful of blood as his chest was crushed by the strength of the Fir. The Fiery Wolf as it screamed hysterically, exploding the atmosphere in crushing hue of black and yellow. From the ashes, the Fire Fir raised a dozen more Herculean creatures of brimming claws and hungry jaws. It was determined to annihilate all.

'Let us be or trial us, whatever it is, be fast.' Spat Ndmh as he regrouped his forces. Ndmh boomed his hoarse voice to the defeated mass, 'Hosts! Strike them until reckoning! We will not go down without a fight!' He became the first to arraign, leading as an example. The desperate angels war cried and joined Ndmh, accelerating into their doom.

Oriaries called out to the fallen and the Hordes in favor of Ndmh, she urged them to join the hosts, their very harbingers of destruction to fight against the Wolves and the Tree. Her argument that their collaboration at this point will be vital to their survival and that the hosts had indeed suffered foolishly with the nullification of The Silver City as retribution for their greed.

Having enough of being strike down helplessly, the Hordes reworked their war machines and fired offences back to the Wolves, while its fitter kins soared into the steaming atmosphere and faced them head on. The Hordes were nevertheless reluctant to fight alongside with the hosts, they banded themselves together to attack a Feral while the Hosts concentrated on another, the surge in numbers favored their warfare and kept the Wolves from wiping out everything.

'Have you realised what you just did?' Said Kepharel wide eyed to Oriaries.

'I know the truth behind them, Kep. I certainly know what I had done and of most, yours... I had Higelot uncovered your trails and we knew what you had and perhaps much more than you.''

Higelot began. 'I tracked your tracks right back to the Old Throne of His Glory just before The Silver City crumbled and found out the truth behind your Fire Monster of the Danish Mountains. Vvael, surely being one of the Cherubim there in witness of the Rebellion, you must have found the Fire Beast familiar.'

'The Rebellion Of Pride? Where Samuel was strike down by Father ten hundred thousand years ago. He was struck down by the Fire of Judgment!' Recalled Vvael in realisation, now understanding why he had saw the statue of Lucifer in the mind of Eilert Swane.

'You must still be a cherub back then.' Suggested Oriaries to Kepharel, 'And our Father struck Samuel down with His Fire. You were there. And you went back, didn't you? You went back for the soft burning barrage. Through the lingering flames, you saw your desire to rule. It made you thought you were chosen. That luster of Judgment marred with the Samuel's desire. You kept it, and planned it all along. You imbued it into a mortal and your plans work out fine. Eilert Swane was never a dream eater, nor soul burner. He was a walking judge. The true sin eater. You got here. You got Hell. You got everything save one thought. That we are on the stand now. That we can be judged too.'

'I was there by His Will. He wanted me to possess His Fire. I was the chosen one!' Hissed Kepharel. 'For I hath seen through His eyes!'

'Look around you, young rouge.' Offered Oriaries, 'Is this what you had seen in your visions? The destruction of both realms? The fire and the darkness. This belongs to the dreams of a soothsayer, not an Epoch. These were all what he saw in his visions. The end is nigh. He had meant that for us. This judgment had meant for us all along. Of all of us, it was the mere mortal who was above us.'

'What?' Asked Kepharel, turning around to see Eilert.

Eilert Swane smiled, almost with pride. 'Yes. I have allowed myself to participate in your scheme. Judgment is nigh. Haven't you been listening to what I had been saying my whole life? You had indeed made me dreamt into becoming what you want me to be, but I had seen much more. I had seen the downfall of God's firstborns. Who is the puppeteer and who is the puppet now?'

A shadow swooped down with the raining hailstorm of meteorites. So swift and silent that it was undetected by the hosts.

'Look at us. Scrambling for allies, trading loyalties and plotting against one another during Father's absence.' Croaked Vvael in shame. 'It's a domino sprung in action that we have basely fulfill all that takes to lead us to our destructions. We are all nothing better than the damned marching towards their end in their judgment.'

'Ndmh and the Hordes are not able to hold out any longer!' Alerted Higelot over the maniacal screams of the Fiery Wolves as they tried to smite the titillating warfare by the angels and the demons. Hell shook violently as if it could no longer contain the fight it had pregnant. The Tree had became the skies. 'These hide of the hill won't able to hide us from the Wolves and the meteorites.'

The Zephr sniffed the air and picked a scent. It was a scent that the devil carried his entire life. He knew that it was going be very interesting soon.

'The entrances of Hell were all gone and so were the exits. However I have come to contemplate an alternative.' Suggested Oriaries grimly, 'the mortal realm that I had suspended, it seemed to be the last places of the worlds that His judgment had not beamed on. The legions of Cherubims wait there. However, there will be a heavy price to pay.'

The Zephr saw the shadow that was sneaking onto them and surprised at its animosity.

'The only way to join the mortal world now was through the Valley Of Passing. It was supposed to be a one-way trip for dead mortals. Though it won’t dissipate the Hosts if they tried to go through it, but with reversing such nature, will cost us our stations as the Hosts.’ Offered Oriaries solemnly.

‘So be it, comrade.’ Said Vvael. ‘At least we live. Whether we will it or not, we are already judged in His eyes, along with the treacherous and the vile.  This is no more salvation at this point of time, perhaps if we lived long enough, working in His grace, Father would return and take us in his blessing again.’

It was Balthial, mute and disillusioned that had descended to the fleeing Kepharel. Her name was the last word that Kepharel ever tried to sound. Balthial struck the jeweled sword of Oriaries deep into the young angel's back. She twisted and wedged the blade so viciously, making sure that Kepharel had suffered every bit of her wrath.

'Balthial! What are you doing?' Yelled Oriaries as they rushed to Kepharel's aid.

Balthial stood with crestfallen eyes at the demise of the world's end. The world that she was charged with the highest order. Her tears ran blood pellets down her soft cheeks and her shivering lips clattered in rage. She raised the sword and plunged away at Kepharel's face. Oriaries grabbed Balthial away but Kepharel was already dead.

Balthial didn't celebrate her vengeance, but cried more blood at how things had come to such. She allowed Oriaries' sword to fall from her grip and knelt strengthlessly to the floor. Oriaries hugged Balthial tightly in her arms as she felt the protege of Gabriel growing sicker and sicker from her fate.

'We have to act now.' Said Oriaries as she hushed and comforted the sobbing Balthial who was now rendered to a defenseless child with her hands full of blood. In a distant, she could hear the indignant voice of Ndmh, 'Stop them from spawning more! This is madness!'

'To the Eastern end, you will find the Valley of Passing unscathed and intact.' Said Oriaries as she unfurled her wings. 'I will create a diversion that give you a moment to escape. Higelot, use that opportunity to gather as much survivors, be it the Hosts or the Hordes. Save as much as you can. Take them without discrimination. Ensure the safety of Vvael and the mortal. And promise me that you will take good care of Balthial. She needs it.'

Before Higelot could protest, Oriaries said, 'Only I can hold them off now.' She turned to Suicides, 'Iahmel, please help gather all the surviving Hordes the best you can. It's so nice to see you after so long.'

The Zephr stared silently at the Cherubim. Despite his refusal to acknowledge, he knew that this was the only chance the Hordes had in face of extinction.

Oriaries to Eilert Swane, 'your campaign is by far the most successful of us. As a supposingly meek neutral agent, you have managed to turn the table and destroy Heaven and Hell singlehandedly. Such destiny! Human, I ask of you to answer me truthfully. Is it really Yahweh? Is He back?'

Eilert said, 'I don't know but I had always believe so. Maybe not now that everything is gone, but He will return when it's time.'

Oriaries smiled with eyes brimming with light tears, 'Thank you, that's all I need to know.'

Oriaries took to air with her three pairs of wings and threw a blast of charge at the giant Feral that Ndmh was battling with his burnt wings, the Feral was stunned and smashed onto the basalt. The Wolves gathered closer with curiosity.

Ndmh laughed in harsh irony, 'They kept spawning, it had became a full forest of them, just wanting to tear us apart.'

Oriaries told Ndmh her plan to the mortal world and explained its consequences, 'Get all your defenders out of Hell, angels and demons alike. Your valor had been outstanding. Your fight is no longer in the wretchedness of this arena, you have to rebuild The Silver City in due time, restore His Glory and gain His forgiveness to us all. You have to do it and you can do it.'

'But I am a traitor!' Ndmh claimed.

'So am I when I strike back against his Judgement. We all are in His eyes now. Believe me, one day when Father chose to return, you must lead us back to The Silver City. Only you can do it. Stay with the mortal agent, you will have a lot to learn from him about unwavering Hope and Faith. Those are your primary constructions of The Silver City.' Said Oriaries as she fled off into the mist of the flaming Wolves and meteorites.

Ndmh pulled back the defenders, angels and demons alike. Suicides rounded up the Hordes, while Higelot cast a temporary shield when they had emerged from the fleshy hill and extended it to cover the fleeing creatures of Hell. Oriaries muttered a brief prayer of forgiveness to Yahweh as she sped like a lightening bolt through the Fire into the core of the Tree. Her collision created a blinding effect as the Wolves howled in anguish as if it had hurt them as well.

When the blinding light finally ended, Hell shrieked for the final time in loathsome burden and ceased to exist no more.

To Be Continued...