“Wait, wait. Wait one moment,” Asmodeus said, lifting a hand. “Are you sure you want to do that? I thought perhaps Gremory and I would go through first in case we ran into anything.”
“No. You have forgotten who is the most powerful of us,” I said, raising both eyebrows and sneering. “You have always lusted after my powers. Today, you may hold the title of most powerful, since it pleases you so—today only.” And with those words I yanked Sila and passed through the portal.
Like Asmodeus had said, keepers waited for us on the other side, and I made my deal with them. When he and Gremory came through, the keepers immediately grabbed Asmodeus and shackled him.
“No!” Asmodeus screamed, gaping at me. “You are mistaken. Release me!” He struggled, but in his weakened state it was futile.
I sauntered a little closer to him. “I informed the keepers of your superior powers and explained how one of you is worth two of us. I also told them how you boasted about having been here once before and how easy it was for you to escape the… what was it you called them? Simpleminded keepers, was it?”
The veins on the sides of Asmodeus’s neck throbbed as he struggled to escape the keepers’ grasp. He snarled, baring his teeth at me. I stepped back as foamy saliva dripped down his chin and sides of his mouth.
“Leave now!” one of the keepers yelled.
Without hesitation, I grabbed Sila and Gremory by the arm and ran toward the portal that led to the human realm. As I stepped through, Asmodeus bellowed my name.
I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth. I hoped and issued a silent petition that we were not running into a world of water.
We stepped out of the mountain cave onto dry earth. I breathed a sigh of relief. Trees, bushes, and grass surrounded us. After shifting into our human forms, we climbed down to the valley. Many people congregated there. Judging by the number of people and the surrounding vegetation, at least a century had gone by since the flood. Had I not forced Asmodeus to speak when I did, we might still be imprisoned in the cave of white light. “Asmodeus—deceitful, repulsive fiend,” I mumbled. “He got what he deserved.”
“I do not feel like myself yet,” Sila said, slouching. “I feel weak, but what is worse are the thoughts that trouble my mind, thoughts of the evil deeds I have committed.”
I glanced at her, and even in her human form she looked weak and pale. “We have all been weakened by our long stay in the white world. We must be cautious, for our bodies are frail and vulnerable.”
“Yes, the brilliant white radiance was quite debilitating,” Gremory said. “Perhaps it was Asmodeus’s plan to weaken us?”
“He planned to sacrifice both you and Sila and perhaps even me,” I said, the thought of it making me grit my teeth so hard, my jaw ached. “For his treachery he is now confined in the fiery depths of the underworld—where he belongs.” The three of us laughed.
“It will not be difficult for us to regain our physical strength,” I said as I observed them. “However, this day, we must make a choice. We can live with the pain of guilt and remorse and become something else, or we can discard the feelings germinated in us in the dark world of floating boulders and be who we were meant to be. Will we live with these tormenting thoughts and allow them to influence our behavior, or will we admit once and for all what we are and allow these thoughts and feelings to make us stronger, so that these emotions never trouble us again?”
I had Sila and Gremory’s attention, so I continued.
“While in the dark world of the floating boulders, the truth, acknowledgement, seeped out of me and stood before me, no longer amorphous but clear in shape and form. I was wrong, I was sinful, and my ways have always been evil. I faced every evil I had ever committed, in Heaven and on Earth, and it tormented me—until now. I have hardened my heart. I have chosen to take pleasure in the evil deeds I do, to immerse myself in the wickedness of my ways without shame or regret. The epitome of evil—it is who and what I am. And now that I have faced the truth I am free and more powerful than ever, because the truth no longer scares me or weighs me down.”
Sila grinned at me and licked her lips. “I too shall harden my heart and embrace my evil ways. How then shall we remember our voyage to the dark world?”
“Like a nightmare. A nightmare that ends in nothing and leaves the sleeper where she lay down.”
“Where do we go from here?” Gremory asked, rubbing his palms together.
“Let us go among the humans and do what we do best,” I said, placing my hands on my hips, my unblinking gaze focused on them. “We shall regain our strength soon enough. My first focus is on finding the being promised to me by the Seers. I shall require your help in this. Keep your eyes and ears open for a remarkable being. Our union shall benefit us all.”
“I shall be delighted to help you find this being,” Sila said, taking my hands in hers.
I looked across at Gremory and noticed he smiled and nodded the way people do when they’re not truly committed. This did not sit right with me. I needed him. His intellect and creativity knew no bounds, but if he was not willing to commit, he was of no use to me.
I picked up a stone and hurled it at him. “Are you listening, or is your mind elsewhere? Surely you do not think anything else could be more important.”
“Of course not. Finding your mate is of the utmost importance to me,” he said, wincing, rubbing the arm my stone had struck.
I considered him for a moment and continued on. “Surely the sons and daughters of Noah share a feeling of being exceptional because God chose their ancestor, Noah, to survive the cataclysm while the rest of humanity perished. We must break down this sense of worth. They must never feel safe. Go amongst them, whisper uncertainties in their ears and fill them with fear. We shall rule them, as we ruled mankind before the flood. What say you?”
“Yes, I agree,” Gremory said, flashing a power-hungry grin.
I glanced at Sila, who gestured a little too excitedly and nearly slipped and fell down the precipice.
We continued down the mountain and arrived at the Plain of Shinar, where Noah’s descendants settled. We walked amongst postdiluvian mankind and filled them with doubts, fears, and heartbreak.
Gremory, creator of manslaughter and bloodshed, committed horrific atrocities and had brother blame brother and father blame son. He possessed fathers and uncles and raped their young boys and girls. He murdered women in front of their children in possession of their husbands or neighbors. Chaos ensued as people committed acts of revenge and retaliation.
Sila shifted into different young women of ethereal beauty, so astonishing and perfect that it was impossible for a human woman to compete. She made other women feel inadequate and ugly and then seduced their men. She convinced these men to participate in more and more repulsive acts and always made sure they were caught by their wives or children. Wicked and mischievous, Sila’s aim was to destroy families. Wives murdered their husbands in their sleep or slaughtered their children in retaliation for their husband’s deeds. Suicide became a prominent undertaking.
I used my powers to heal in reverse and caused many maladies. Infants died of strange fevers; women miscarried their unborn; and men suffered weakening afflictions. When mankind was weak and vulnerable, I appeared to them in the form of a distinguished-looking older man I had possessed and told them they were not safe.
I climbed on a platform and stood tall before a multitude of people. I ran a hand over my silvery-gray hair and faced the crowd. “I am a prophet of God, and as His messenger I am here to tell you that if you do not follow His laws to the letter, He shall send another flood.”
“That cannot be!” a middle-aged woman claimed. “God made a covenant with Noah that never again would He destroy the world with a flood.”
“Did you hear these words come from God’s mouth?” I asked as I lifted my chin and clasped my arms behind my body.
She gasped. “Of course not. That was long ago and before my time, but Noah and his sons pas
sed down God’s promise from generation to generation.”
“How do you know those who came before you did not change the words God spoke to Noah, so that their families may feel safe?” I watched the woman turn pale and shrink back into the crowd. “Those who came before you lied. They lied to protect you, so that you may live carefree lives. But I am here to speak the truth. There is nothing stopping God from creating another deluge to wipe out mankind, and perhaps this time He will not choose anyone to save. It will be up to you to save yourselves.”
“How? How could we save ourselves from a flood?” a tall young man with broad shoulders asked.
I stroked my white beard. “You have a unique opportunity. The incredible engineering skills of all mankind are here in the Shinar, all together in one place. Build a great tower!” I stopped to allow my words to be absorbed. Soon the air filled with the buzz of people murmuring to each other. “I had a vision,” I continued, “that mankind had constructed a colossal structure whose pinnacle reached into Heaven!”
The huge crowd quickened. Women giggled and nodded at their men. Men straightened their backs, puffing out their chests.
The young man stepped forward. “You saw us build this tower in your vision?”
“Clear as day. It was remarkable,” I said as I touched my lower lip with the tip of my finger.
I chose Gremory to design and head the tower project. “We shall stay with these people until our powers are restored and the tower is underway,” I told him.
Of course I had to get rid of the distinguished-looking old man. In other words, I cut out his tongue so he would remain silent even in the afterlife. And having enjoyed the experience, I continued to cut him to pieces until he was divided into a thousand portions, which I fed to the wild boars. I did not want to spend the rest of my stay in possession of his decrepit, ancient body or risk the old man speaking the truth and wrecking my plans.
The lives of these people revolved around building the massive tower. They worked tirelessly on Gremory’s design, day and night. Upon examining the work they had done so far, I was impressed and thought perhaps they would accomplish the task.
I had established myself as a healer amongst them, though some called me witch and others, demon. Either way, they knew I was powerful. They came to me in multitudes, bringing me their sick and dying; unbeknownst to them, it was I who made them sick in the first place. It functioned the same as it had before the flood; I cured their loved ones, and they paid the price. When the tower almost reached the clouds and we had caused enough irreparable damage, Gremory, Sila, and I left the Plain of Shinar to search elsewhere for my companion.
Chapter 10
TRANSCEND
Decades passed in a blur. I have not aged since my twentieth year. Although my outer appearance is still of a young man, my heart has taken many beatings. My life after the flood was not much changed from the life I lived before the deluge. I moved through time alone. If my heart had a face, it would contain many creases etched with sorrow, regret, and loneliness.
I had not abandoned my search for my mother. I needed answers still. My longing to see her face, to watch her squirm once I revealed myself—the son she believed she had slain—had not diminished. I have traveled far and wide, following accounts of my mother’s whereabouts to no avail.
Lilith’s ways were mysterious; an elusive creature, she was never in one place for too long. She was evil and had to be stopped. Who better to end her than the boy whose life she thought she had ended years ago? So I continued to follow the leads men gave me to unknown destinations, expecting that one day one of those indications would lead me to her. My heart still burned with a single purpose; vengeance on her had become the universal panacea for all of my ills. I was not whole, because this part of my life was unresolved.
I had not set eyes on Coralia since before the flood. I had come to think perhaps she… thoughts better left unspoken. But then I began to hear stories from men who claimed to have encountered stunning aquatic creatures out at sea with the head and upper body of a human female and lower body of a fish. Throughout the years, many songs and poems have been sung and recited on the subject of those striking aquatic creatures who sing captivating melodies to lure men to wreck their ships on rocky shores. Dagon was worshipped as a deity in some parts. Some coastal villagers believed him to be the ruler of the sea.
The world had but one language and a common speech, but who knows what parts of men’s tales to believe, since they were usually spun with thread of embellishment and imagination.
There have been many tales told of me—Dracúl, son of the devil. For the most part, I remained in my human form, but there were times when I was obliged to shift into the red fiend form. From time to time, I was spotted flying across the darkened sky, like a creature out of one’s worst nightmare. Those who saw me gave me horrifying names and too often blamed me for the appalling acts of other men.
I knew I looked monstrous as I flew, my enormous black, spiky, wings outstretched, eclipsing the sun. My long, scaly, serpent tail and huge, curved horns were things of nightmares. Nevertheless, I was distressed when tales of the red fiend depicted depravities for which I was not responsible.
I missed Gadreel. I had not seen her since we parted ways after disembarking the ark. She was a good friend and companion, but she was right in leaving me, for without my quest for my mother, my life would have no meaning.
I was headed eastward toward Sodom, my next destination, and on my way I found a valley. Many people had settled there, refusing to scatter as God had commanded them after the flood. They were building a city. Weary of travel, I thought to stay awhile. I was curious. Everyone—young and old, male and female—helped with the construction of a tall structure. They looked like people united in purpose, and I have learned through the years that when humans come together with a single goal, they can accomplish impossible feats.
“I have never seen a structure this tall. What are you building?” I asked a burly man carrying materials to the site.
“We are building a tower that will reach the heavens,” he said.
“For what purpose do you build such a tower?” I hurried alongside him, for he did not stop or slow his gait.
“We want to construct a great city with a tower higher than anything on Earth and make a name for ourselves,” the man said, his breathing labored beneath his heavy load. “And if we erect a tower high enough to reach the heavens, we would be protected from floodwaters should God attempt to drown mankind once again.”
His statement was most vexing, making my stomach tighten. Has God not been kind to Noah and his descendants?
“God promised Noah he would never send another flood. After each cloudburst and thunderstorm you can see evidence of His covenant shimmering in the skies.”
“Ack! Promise from God?” the man grumbled as he laid the materials he carried on the ground. “How do I know this actually happened? How do you? Were you there?” The man looked around at the crowd beginning to form and snickered.
“In fact, I was. I eavesdropped as God spoke to Noah. He said, ‘Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’”
The man cocked his head back and laughed until his face turned as red as a pomegranate. It was obvious he did not believe me. Some of the men in the crowd joined him in laughter.
“Come, help us build a city with a tower that pierces the skies,” he said, still laughing. “You are young, tall, and visibly strong. You can be of great help to us.”
“I will not!” I scoffed. “You are the descendants of Noah. God has spared your lives, and rather than glorify Him, you choose to establish your own importance? You offend God with your lack of trust and by building this monument to your own greatness.”
He stopped laughing as darkness crossed his eyes. “If you do not wish to help us, be on your way, stranger. You will receive no hospitality here.” He balled his fists and glared at me. The men who had gathered to hear our quarrel now surrounded m
e. My pulse raced as I scanned their angry faces, but I stood my ground.
I held up my palms. “You must cease the construction of this tower, lest God’s wrath will be upon you once more.” Although my heart pounded, I spoke in a calm manner and without fear.
The men did not back down. Some gripped clubs, while others gathered large stones from the ground. I knew they intended to hurt me, but I was compelled to go on.
I swallowed as if downing something large and bitter. “I have seen God’s wrath firsthand. You must not continue with this defiance, lest—”
An explosive pain in my skull strangled my words. For a few seconds I had a whirling sensation in my head. I regained my wits only to feel another jolting pain in my shoulder and then my back and hip. I collapsed to the ground.
Darkness grew around me as the angry crowd loomed over me, blotting the sun’s rays. They threw stones at me and clubbed me with their bludgeons. I curled into a ball, my arms attempting to shield my head from the blows. I writhed and groaned in pain as my blood spilled.
“Stop! I implore you! I do not want to hurt you!” I begged, but they cackled and continued to beat me. Suddenly, my mouth began to quiver and drool. Claws burst forth from my fingers, while my hands grew monstrous. Heat rose in me, turning my face crimson with fury, and firestorms formed in my eyes. I became the red fiend.
Before the men could react to my transformation, I expanded my wings in one exploding act, hurling many in various directions. I rammed some of them with my horns as they attempted to flee. I thrashed others with my serpent tail, and yet others I gored with the spikes on my wings. To mortal eyes I must have been a gruesome sight.
When done, some men lay dead at my feet and many others were injured. There were pools of blood with tentacle-like streams flowing in every direction. I bowed my head, burying my face in my bloodstained hands. When I dared to look again, I watched men and women come to claim their loved ones’ lifeless, broken bodies. I proceeded to them and blubbered incoherent apologies, only to have them grimace and recoil from me in fear. My body grew heavy and I collapsed to the ground. I thought my well of tears had dried long ago, yet tears of remorse and guilt covered my face as I cradled my head. What kind of devil suffers so at the sight of his transgressions?
Son of the Serpent Page 13