by Leo Ndelle
Eliel and Lithilia charged once again towards Luceefa but they collided with an invisible barrier when they were close to her. They tried several times and the same thing happened.
“It’s an energy field!” Lithilia fumed as she smacked repeatedly against it. “It’s oscillating almost at Shemsu frequency! I can’t get through it.”
“A what frequency?” Eliel asked.
“Shemsu,” Uriel replied weakly via telepathy.
Eliel immediately teleported towards Uriel and took her in his arms. However, she screamed in so much pain that Eliel returned her to the ground.
“Don’t worry about me,” Uriel said via telepathy. “I’m healing. Focus on Luciel!”
Suddenly, they felt it. It was as palpable as the quaking of the realm. However, as guardian to Celestia, Eliel knew innately what was going on. He slowly stood up and walked towards the hovering Luceefa, who looked like she had just been completely taken over by an alien entity. Her body was no longer ablaze with purple flames. Her body was aglow with purple light. Eliel was frantic. Barely a guardian and there was no way he could prevent the inevitable. And then, the ever-burning light of Celestia, generated by the realm’s perpetual sparking of the ethers began dimming.
“No! No! No!” Eliel exclaimed and dropped to his knees.
“What’s happening, Eliel?” Raphael demanded.
“Luceefa,” Eliel replied weakly. “She’s draining the life force of Celestia.”
“What does that mean?” Gabriel asked.
But Eliel was not paying attention to anything anymore as he watched Luceefa raise her left hand above her head and glide upwards. When she closed her left fist, Celestia lost more than half of its remaining luminosity and started quaking as if someone, or something was violently shaking the realm. Darkness was an alien concept in the Dimension of Lemuria and that alone caused everyone stopped fighting. In that darkening darkness, the spectacle of Luceefa glowing with purple light and hovering above everyone with a closed left fist was even more spectacular and glorious. It was a glory that was a harbinger of an impending end. No one knew exactly what that ‘end’ constituted, but they knew it was the kind of end that was unbiased towards every creature. The worst part of it all was that there was nothing anyone from Celestia or Hell could do about it. Eliel had a better sense of what Luceefa was about to do to the realm and the dimension, especially since he was now guardian.
Luceefa spared a moment to regard the creatures beneath her for one last time before she ended their miserable existences. She felt the power coursing through her body, amplified by a massive cosmic spectacle in Creation. The feeling was innate and it was more than exhilarating. Yes! Yes! YES! This was her finally becoming the agent of The Scribe. This was The Scribe fulfilling his promise to her. This was her as an ascended being who was about to champion her present and future followers into a life that was much greater than that which they had ever experienced or envisioned. The transmutation of her essence was complete to something beyond archangel, but not entirely Shemsu. This was her finally becoming what she believed she was destined to become: a catalyst for the vibration of chaos!
Luceefa accelerated downwards with her left fist clenched and aimed towards to ground. Celestia and Lemuria was plunged into total darkness as she consumed almost all of Lemuria’s cosmic energy and her body glowed in an even brighter purple hue. In the darkness of Lemuria, Luceefa had become what her peers in Celestia once called her: a light bearer. However, the only light Luceefa bore was the promise of total annihilation and chaos in the dimension and even beyond. Her left fist contained a spark of supercharged etheric energy that would render the core of Celestia unstable and implode once she crashed her fist into the ground. Since Celestia was the central realm of Lemuria and was connected to every realm in Lemuria, the implosion of its core would set off a chain reaction at the etheric level that would destroy the rest of the dimension.
But as Luceefa zipped towards the ground, she felt the change. Even as she preyed on the despair of everyone present, she felt the change. It was a change in the energy that pulsated within the dimension, a different kind of power that was hugely at variance with the power she was feeling and channeling. Too late! Luceefa thought as she crashed her fist into the ground. Everything and everyone became perfectly still as they waited for the inevitable.
“NO!” she screamed.
Nothing happened. Luceefa had crashed an empty left fist into the ground. The source of the opposing power she felt was the reason behind her losing the spark of supercharged etheric energy in her left fist. The quaking of the realm ceased. Slowly, the ethers of Celestia and Lemuria resumed their eternal sparking and a new kind of brightness began engulfing the darkness created by Luceefa. Every creature felt the change and every creature was filled with awe for the one responsible for that change, the one who was the savior of Celestia and Lemuria. Even before Luceefa joined everyone else as they lifted their eyes upwards, she knew what she was going to see.
“NOOOO!” she screamed in fury. “THIS CANNOT BE!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
AWAKEN II
“CHIRAM!” ASHRAM CALLED out to Chiram telepathically. “Let us finish this.”
“At long last,” Chiram replied in like manner.
Chiram and her followers teleported to the Realm-Dimension of Canias, home of the Hounds of Creation. The fight between Celestia and Hell Realms were not theirs to partake in, and so they had remained passive observers. Chiram followed Ashram’s telepathic trail and was not surprised to find Ashram standing on the same spot where his followers were imprisoned, protected by Ashram’s auric shield for so many hound cycles to remember or even care about now.
Ashram stood in the middle of tens of thousands of hounds. He felt nothing for anyone, not even for his followers trapped in Chiram’s prison beneath his feet as they cheered him on, knowing the moment of their liberation had come as well as the moment of Chiram’s judgement. Ashram faced Chiram with pure dispassion as he spared himself a moment to stroll down memory lane. Perhaps this was going to be his last act as leader of the hounds. Perhaps what he was about to do would work and every hound who had stood against him was going to regret the error of their ways. Or perhaps this would be his end.
Despite being in exile these hound cycles past, he had never failed or relented in his duties. He had awakened a countless number of guardians in every corner of Creation. When Mother calls, one answers, regardless of the situation. It was the same for every creature who became a guardian. Mother would point him in the direction of the creature, he would approach the creature, sense the guardianship in that creature and awaken the creature according to the creature’s current level of awakening. Whenever Mother pointed in a direction, it was a given that the creature was Mother’s choice of guardianship, until Mother pointed in Michael’s direction.
Michael was the first deviation from the norm because, when Ashram met him, he sensed nothing akin to guardianship in Michael. This was very confusing to him. Could Mother be wrong? Or maybe it was him, Ashram, who was losing his mind and/or abilities? Perhaps being in exile for so long had started edging him towards delusion? But Mother was never wrong and deep down, Ashram knew there was nothing wrong with him. So, if Mother had asked him to meet Michael, then there was a reason for that.
That reason became apparent after his short conversation and moment of silence with Michael. Mother wanted to teach Ashram a lesson to never assume or presume. The lesson was humbling and Ashram was happy to learn Mother’s lesson. In that realization, Ashram had decided not to share his story with Michael. Michael had to find his own path and Ashram had a feeling Mother was going to have a hand in that. The prophecies; Ashram thought there were an interesting trickery on the part of those who put them together. Was it a wild gamble or did Mother had a subtle or overt influence in those prophecies? Ashram would never know. Then, Mother had pointed in Eliel’s direction.
Ashram had immediately sensed the guardiansh
ip in Eliel, as well as a deep-rooted personality construct or ego. No doubt, the prophecies had something to do with it. Eliel was the first guardian who had accepted his role of guardianship with an awakening. Ashram had witnessed many awakenings and self-realizations before; but Eliel’s awakening was the first in Creation from a guardian during their initiation into the role of a guardian. It was a momentous occasion. The ‘prophecy’ was true, though. Eliel was to become the highest-ranking archangel in Celestia, a guardian, rising above Michael. However, what everyone had failed to see, including Michael and Eliel, was that highest-ranking archangel did not necessarily equate to archangel supreme. No one in Celestia knew about guardians to realms, not even Uriel, the wisest of them all.
This realization was a devastating blow to Eliel’s ego. He had equated his status of The One, the angel of promise, to archangel supreme, and in that destruction of his ego, in that self-realization, Eliel had awakened to his true purpose. He had risen above Michael. He was a guardian, the highest-ranking archangel in the Realm of Celestia. ‘Archangel supreme’ was merely a fancy title for ‘leader’. Many realms had various titles for their leaders: presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, overlords, emperors and the list goes on. Still, in the ‘eyes’ of Creation, there was no rank greater than ‘guardian’ in any realm. This was as poetic as it could get for Ashram. He had bid Eliel farewell and good fortune before returning to his home, Canias, fueled with the knowledge of Eliel’s situation, to face his enemy.
“So attached to what you do not even have,” Ashram said to Chiram.
“I’ll get it back from Lithilia and Kazuk,” Chiram assured Ashram. “If they make it through this.”
“You think I’m referring to the jewel?” Ashram shook his head. “Who cares about the jewel?”
“Who cares about the jewel?” Chiram was incredulous. “Only the one who wants to lead the Hounds of Creation, maybe?”
“Like you, I used to think my power came from the jewel,” Ashram said softly. “Like you, my identity was centered around the jewel. I used to think I was nothing without it. But I know better now. I realize the jewel is merely a symbol, a pointer towards something much bigger. Something that lies within.”
Chiram stared at Ashram for a moment as if dazed by Ashram’s words before she suddenly erupted into wild laughter. Her followers joined her. They laughed so hard that some of the hounds were rolling on the ground.
“Oh, Ashram,” Chiram scoffed amid fits of laughter. “You have officially lost your mind. But do not worry, old friend,” she stumped her right paw on the ground a few times as she continued laughing, “I will end you quickly and painlessly. This is too humiliating even for you. You can-”
And it the midst of their laughter, Chiram and her followers heard it. They felt the shift in energy. In the midst of the derision, they felt the power. In the midst of their insults, they felt the respect. In the midst of their mockery, they felt the awe. The laughter died off immediately and there were looks of confusion on the faces of Chiram and her followers. It was impossible! Yet, even in their disbelief, they knew it was happening. It was as real as the tingling in their essences was.
They heard it again and this time, Chiram and her followers went into panic mode, fueled by the only emotion evoked by what they heard: fear! They were petrified. But even as they tried to flee, the energy of the Realm-Dimension of Canias prevented them. They were trapped in their own home, in the worst possible situation with their worst nightmare. They realized their mistake. They realized the error of their ways. They never should have strayed from the cause. They never should have turned against Ashram, their true leader. They never should have turned against their fellow brothers and sisters. They never should have… They never should have… But it was too late!
When Ashram roared the third time, the core of Canias quaked as if rocked by a very violent earthquake. He held the roar as the ground quaked to the point of resonance. The auric shield around the prison that contained his followers was shattered into etheric smithereens and hounds sprang from it like lava from a violent volcano. They emerged by the tens of thousands, answering to the call of their leader. They were ready for war against their former brothers and sisters. They boiled with hound cycles of pent-up anger and vengeful hatred for those who had betrayed them.
Ashram ceased roaring and closed his eyes. He absorbed the massive release of energy from Canias as the realm-dimension gradually ceased quaking. This was his declaration of his awakening. This was him answering the call to his purpose. This was him rising from his fall. This was his home giving him a warm welcome. This was Mother saying ‘well done!’ and Ashram never needed the jewel for all that. When Ashram opened his eyes, they shone so bright that Chiram and her followers cowered and buried their faces in their paws, while his followers bowed their heads in awe and reverence. Ashram’s body glowed as it became transfigured to a new form.
“I will only say this once,” Ashram said, with his voice sounding as if he was roaring while talking. “Surrender and you will be spared!”
Many of Chiram’s followers migrated over to Ashram’s side and surrendered. Chiram snapped out of her display of fear and summoned the last of her courage. Her actions seemed to inspire the remainder of her followers and they, too, readied themselves for a last stand.
“Make them work for it, hounds!” Chiram ordered her followers.
“Chiram is mine!” Ashram roared to his followers.
Ashram watched as Chiram leaped for him, claws extended and fangs bared. He was calm even as Chiram crashed paws-first, followed by her snout, into the auric barrier he had formed around himself. Ashram walked slowly towards the dazed form of Chiram on the ground and loomed over her. There was no need to drag this on any further. He was calm even as he placed a paw on her throat and lowered his head towards hers until his snout almost touched hers. He was calm even as he let her feel the fullness of what was about to happen to her. It was going to be a lot worse than death.
“Goodbye, Chiram!” Ashram said emotionlessly via telepathy.
Ashram flooded Chiram’s essence with an overload of what could be described as an esoteric pulse. Chiram felt pain like she had never conceived of before as her essence was being shredded at the etheric level. She wanted to scream, to beg, to… to… There was no peace in her eyes as she burned away in flames of a strange color that none of the hounds had ever seen. Ashram’s paw rested on the ground where Chiram’s form used to lie. Chiram had officially become history and her form would never be recycled into Creation.
The battle was over quickly. Grossly outnumbering Chiram’s followers and channeling the many cycles of pent-up anger and quest for vengeance, Ashram’s followers did a clean sweep across Chiram’s followers, sparing none of them. Ashram turned around to face his followers. Their closure was complete. One-by-one, his followers stretched their paws in front of them in prostration and bowed their heads to the ground. Ashram nodded his acceptance of their pledge to follow him to the end, if need be. Then, Ashram summoned a pedestal, placed his right paw on it, lifted his snout upwards and roared once again!
***
Michael slowly glided towards Luceefa as he absorbed the dimension-destructive energy away from her. He was in his basic, wingless form. Every creature felt the power that radiated from his presence, power that was knee-bending. This was a version of Michael no one had ever beheld before. He narrowed golden-yellow eyes towards a seething, cursing, writhing Luceefa. He regarded her as if she was the least of his concerns, as if she did not matter and never mattered before. Luceefa could as well have been an ant crawling between the blades of grass in the Garden of Aiden. Michael’s feet touched the ground as Luceefa squared her shoulders and readied for an attack. Instead, Michael turned his back towards her and addressed the crowd.
“Surrender now! Return to Hell and you will be spared!” he commanded.
Luceefa saw her opportunity and took it. She summoned a sword, infused it with purple flames and
moved at near-Shemsu speed, intending to decapitate Michael. Between her near-Shemsu speed and the element of surprise, Michael would not stand a chance. Her sword drew closer towards its target. Everything seemed to pause because she was moving so much faster than the creatures of Lemuria. Her eyes widened and her evil smile broadened into a grin with the excitement and anticipation of a certain victory and the ultimate realization of a vision. But wait! Why was her sword not getting any closer to its target? This is odd. Luceefa wondered as she continued to move her sword closer towards Michael’s neck. She still could not reach his neck. And then, it dawned on her.
Michael was moving away from her sword much faster than her sword was moving towards his neck. She saw a golden-yellow blur zip around her and light reflected off the surface of something shiny as that something moved in a horizontal arc towards her. The next thing Luceefa remembered was Michael reaching out and grabbing her hair by the crown of her head. In her final moments of consciousness, Luceefa’s eyes darted towards the ground to see Michael’s sword pointing downward and a stream of purple light sliding down the edge of the sword. Her eyes darted back upwards and met his. Why is my head not turning? Luceefa thought. There was a thud on the ground and it finally made sense to her. Michael was still holding her head and the thud was from her headless body hitting the ground. Then, in her final moments of consciousness, Luceefa saw the ground rushing towards her face. Her head bounced around twice before turning to face upwards, just in time to see the sole of Michael’s foot accelerating towards her face before everything went black.
After seeing what Michael had just done to their leader, the remainder of Hell’s army lowered their weapons and surrendered. Celestia declared victory and began escorting the remainder of their enemies back to Hell.