The Soothsayer - Candlelights

The Northern Hasche Sea upon the Fifteen Candlelights.

Heaven was many things to different people. To Saul, it was an endless horizon of beach with white sands to walk upon. Seven stars of the northern twilights guided his way. Even though the Hasche Ocean seemed to run on seamlessly, connecting the blue skies to the green waves that rolled onto the sparkling beachhead, it was not infinite. For the Hasche Ocean was the last bastion on heaven. Somehow that encouraged Saul to spend every minute of his afterlife to sit at the edge of heaven. For despite he was in paradise, Saul wanted to feel closer to the living.

A distance away, someone strolled towards him. It was Angel Balthial in her wings. Saul gotten up and greeted the flawless angel.

'Did you see that?' Said Balthial as she pointed to a dark end of the horizon. Saul didn't recall observing that before. The black dot indicated a faraway storm was brewing and for the first time in his twenty years on heaven, Saul felt something he wasn't supposed to. A human emotion that was abandoned with his ascension.

'Great Balthial.' Began Saul, 'I'm fearful.'

Balthial took Saul's hands and comforted him with a prayer. But Saul could feel the archangel's looming concern for the turn of tides. And for the protege of Gabriel to start worrying, Saul had every right to fear.

The heavenly choir started singing in the background of the white mist. The Silver City beckoned.

With a tender kiss of Saul's forehead, Balthial bide him with courage and farewell. Her spread of wings took her soaring into cheery skies and beyond.



Divinity Courts of Counsel upon the Seventeen Candlelights.

In the Eastern wing of the Silver City, the capital of Heaven, the counsel of hosts gathered.

News of Kepharel and Pancia spilling kinsman's blood to descend Hell had reached Heaven.

It turned out Kepharel had planned it for a long time. With the reasoning that the absence of God and Lucifer was a permission to engage Hell, he managed to convince the hosts to invade. A thousand and forty-four hosts of various orders had deserted their stations and descended Hell after the Kepharel had broken the seal of the Morningstar.

The counsel chaired by Balthial, of Thrones was discussed at length about their stand of the invasion, the possibility of success or intervention and consequences of such liaison.

The throne dedicated to Him was an empty sanctuary in the next room. The Seraphs continued to sing to His Glory.

'Balthial! We need to intervene fast!' Exclaimed Higelot, of Virtues. 'Have the Counsel come to a decision on our stand?'

'Comrade Higelot. The only stand we have is to back Kepharel or join forces with Hell.' Said Ziquiel, of Powers nonchalantly, 'And they are not optional at all.'

Higelot stared at Ziquiel long and hard, 'Do not attempt to take my words unkindly. Surely you know the consequences of such warfare? Optional or not, we have to intervene. Taking sides or not, the Silver City could no longer afford such luxury of neutrality in times like these. If Hell was just a place to annex with a thousand angels, I'll be having tea in The Sixth Circle of Heretics ten hundred years ago!'

'Allow yourself to rationalize with calm and levelness, Higelot of Virtues.' Said Balthial, 'It was never our station to offense Hell nor holding their hands against our misguided kinsmen. No matter how imprudence Young Kepharel may appear, it is still not the hour to trial him and his thousand angels. Our hands are tied here.'

'Balthial! You meant that the rest of us are going to sit around the pearly gates to watch this audacity?' Shot Higelot. 'That blasphemed traitor is incinerating souls! He is playing God!'

'So let God judge him!' Replied Balthial, 'Do not forget that judging too is playing God.'



Red Gates of Oni - The Entrance Of Hell upon the Infinite Hours.

The last words Of Karimi.

She was a ruthless scaremonger when alive and was grown into the red gates of Hell when decreased, perpetually pierced by the living steel and barbs. The glistered metals of stinging flesh twisted and ate her bit by bit from the insides. Karimi was not alone. The thousands of tormented sinners crucified to the burning irons of Hell's entrance.

Karimi watched as the hordes gathered in strength to fortify the red gates. In armory of strange creatures and chariots of nightmares, the hordes prepared for something greater than them.

Karimi listened to the barb growing around her tongue like a rope tightening itself as she listened to the blood curling screams of the demons with horns and incisors.

Karimi waited for that was all she could do these days. Waited with blinding flashes of pain in the depth of her head as she melted into the rusty gate.

They came from the flaming skies.

Angels with swan wings and halos.

The devils howled, raising tridents and catapults.

Then all they saw was fire.

Her last words were, 'It was so beautiful...'



Cocytus - Throne Of Lamentation upon the Infinite Hours.

'Glory! Glory! To! Sydonai! My Lord! My Answer! Demise! Fall! To! The Leopard! The Lion! And! The Wolf!' Squawked the scout with talons.

Asmodai the infernal dragon shattered the basalt ground into pieces with his great hoof, 'They took the Gate?'

'United! United! The Fire! The Fire! They Ashen! The Fire!' Cawed the scout.

'Suicides.' The unholy creature growled.

'Five hundred thousands.' Answered the mishapped lieutenant with a grave tone, 'The Fire Golem incinerated five hundred thousand sinners at the red gate.'

Asmodai the constellation of ancient evils settled in his throne of angels' feathers, his seventeen greater horns buckled with his thoughts as his sight wandered to the wailing river. 'Ophanim, Dominons, Virutes, Powers and Principlilties. Five of the seven highest orders of angels in The Silver City are here on our doorstep. Led by a fairy. Hold. The Cherubim. Vvael. They clipped his wings. A Cherubim had his darn wings clipped by a fairy! A pack of clowns.'

'Suicides. I want to know more about that fire. That fire that incinerated the rightful properties of Hell. Get the Cherubim here. Alive.' Croaked Asmodai retreating to the shadows with his six tails sliding into disappearance.

Suicides the Zephr stood with uncertainties by the wailing river of Cocytus.



Divinity Courts of Counsel upon the Twenty-Ninth Candlelights.

'Eilert Swane was but a mortal.' Asked Balthial, of Thrones. 'But could he transmute to an elemental of such proportion? He is consuming Hell as we speak.'

'Kepharel and his rouges are pushing into Hinnom.' Observed Ziquiel, of Powers plainly. 'The Hordes had proved too much of a fight for the thousand and forty fours.'



The Vast Valley Of Hinnom - The Children Hell upon the Infinite Hours.

The gray valley once littered with the weeping bodies of sacrificed children were now childless and dressed with the corpses of the warmongers. Bloody bodies of both angels and demons slewed across Hinnom with Kepharel leading his heavenly troops deep into the valley. While the Great Fire Servant burnt every sinners ever laid on his path, Kepharel and his angels fought the daemons with flags and swords.

But they were being too deep into Hell and Kepharel's fire puppet would not damage the hell spawns as he would with the celestial beings, for they too offer no souls. Kepharel's army was stuck with fighting too many with too few.

Ndmh, of Dominions was Kepharel's lieutenant cried in desperation, 'Kep! This valley was a strategic mistake! There were too many of flanking us! You got to turn us around this valley! Our body count is currently four hundred!'

'Stay close, my brothers and sisters!' Commanded the tired Kepharel, 'We just need to storm through Hinnom to take the Wall of Gehenna!'

'Why Gehenna?' Asked Pancia as they fought onwards. 'It is but a hill of landfill that even Hell itself forsake!'

Kepharel smiled, spreading his wings. 'It is also the highest ground in Hell.'



Divinity Courts of Counsel upon the Forty Candlelights.

'Balthial!' Higelot, of Virtues confronted, 'We could no longer afford to wait!'

'Higelot.' Ziquiel, of Powers offered, 'At this rate, even if Kepharel fails, we could take on Hell. We could abolish abominating violence and introduce redemption to Hell. Think of the greater heights we could reach!'

'Ziquiel, you knave.' Higelot explained, 'Don't you see? We cannot take Hell, least abolish anything! Open your eyes and look into the effects of the mortal world.'

And he did. And he saw Higelot's point.

With no retribution or an eye for an eye. With no Hell to serve as a reflection for morality. With sinners incinerated into limbo and sins obliterated. Man no longer feared repercussion for their actions. It started out slowly, its concept seeping into mankind. They would no longer feel fear for their sins. Some started robbing and indulging in selfishness and pleasure even if their actions could harm others. The world was shifting into a scale of no return. Without Hell, people stop believing in getting saved. Without Hell, people stop believing in God.

'Higelot is right. The mortal world is decaying by the minutes as the Fire Monster continues to burn sinners in Hell.' Oriares strutting into the Divinity Courts in golden armor and helm. Her Cherubim wings of six wavered gracefully behind her.

'Oriares.' Balthial asked, 'Why are you in your battle plays?'

'Balthial, of Thrones, protege of Archangel Gabriel.' Began Oriaries, of Cherubim, 'I hereby relieve you of your charge to The Silver City. I'm bringing the battalion to Hell.'

'Oriaries, of Cherubim.' Ziquiel asked, 'Didn't you just concur with that Hell is not for taking?'

'I'm going to shut down the mortal world for a while. Suspend them in motion until this crisis is over.' Said Oriaries firmly. 'I'm not going to Hell to invade. I'm going to rescue our kinsman. Comrade Vvael is down there.'

Balthial smiled, 'Oriaries, though you are of Cherubim and I the Thrones. But Gabriel's words are as good as the Lord's. You are not bringing heaven into hell.'

Oriaries pulled out her sword and threw it to the ground where Balthial stood. 'I anticipated that. You are not worthy of the archangel's mark. May my sword protect you until Father returns. For without his presence, you would soon find the ceiling of The Silver City hitting onto the gravel of Hell. I'm bringing the Cherubims with me.'

Oriaries spread her magnificent wings and flew away. Higelot gave Balthial a shake of his head and followed Oriaries' direction with a step of his flight.


The Mortal World - 1849

And the world stopped in 1849.

Hang in total suspension.

Not a stir of echo, a heartbeat or even a lift of an atom.

The world just stopped with its creatures and nature stuffed on their paths inanimately like the works of a cozy dollhouse.

Everything paused.

Unaware that they were caught in the greatest war between heaven and hell.



To be continued...