by Leo Ndelle
She followed the demon and together they teleported to the throne room. Maybe the new king wants to meet me, Lithilia thought. As soon as she appeared, every creature prostrated in front of her, including Kazuk.
“My love!” Lithilia exclaimed and ran towards him.
She took him by the shoulders, hugged him tightly before the two of them kissed passionately. Nothing else seemed to matter in the throne room. Kazuk was alive and faring well, apparently.
“I am so sorry for your loss, my love,” Kazuk whispered into her ear.
“Thank you, my love” she replied and looked around the throne room.
Every creature in Hell Realm was still prostrated in front of her.
“My love, what’s happening?” Lithilia asked.
Lithilia felt Kazuk’s hands on her shoulders and turned to meet his gaze. She followed his gaze as he gestured towards the empty throne.
“But I don’t-” Lithilia started saying before everything made sense to her.
Hell Realm saw her fight their former leader, Luceefa. They saw her move with nearly the same speed as Luceefa did. They also bore witness to Michael’s might. They saw her kiss Michael and, most of all, they heard Michael give her a free pass in and out of Celestia. In other words, they had witnessed the new, not-to-be-trifled-with version of Michael endorse Lithilia with HIS authority. It may not have been Michael’s intention, but it certainly worked out in her favor. This was a most unexpected but welcome turn of events and Lithilia was not going to pass up on the opportunity.
Lithilia slowly ascended the stairs towards the throne. Its vacancy beckoned at her, wanting her to fill it and seize the power, the authority, that came with it. When she was near the throne, she smiled sadly and ran the fingers of her left hand along the right armrest. I wonder what my son would have thought about this. Lithilia turned around to face Hell Realm. She regarded the realm briefly, savoring the final moments of a regular life before she entered one with a new meaning and purpose. The last time she had seen someone ascend to this throne, there had been chaos, mayhem, fights and deaths. There had been too much gore that came with the glory of this throne back then. There had been fear and conquest. Now, however, was very different. There was awe that came with the fear and there was a unanimous endorsement by the entire realm, including that from the former king of Hell Realm. Lithilia slowly lowered herself into the throne with all the majesty she could summon.
“ALL HAIL LITHILIA, QUEEN OF HELL REALM!” Kazuk bellowed with enormous pride and Hell Realm chorused:
ALL HAIL THE QUEEN! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN! ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!
***
Yeshua appeared in front of the council in Atlantia as Lunok and was given a hero’s welcome by the realm.
“Welcome back, my child!” Salok beamed. “Atlantia and Asah welcome you back with joy and pride.”
“Thank you, mother,” Lunok replied as the entire realm cheered on.
“We are pleased to inform you that our systems no longer detect any traces of The Darkness anywhere in the realm or dimension,” Collok reported. “We all know it is thanks to you.”
“Our people still fall to lower realms, as per your recommendations,” Mulok interjected. “Some have returned and their esoteric makeups reveal that their vibrations of will have been activated and have peaks and troughs. They have become polarized and are immune to the esoteric plague that was the darkness.”
“You have saved us all, child,” Salok said and stood up.
The rest of the council and every Shemsu in Atlantia stood up wherever they were. They pulsated eight times in unison towards Lunok, bathing him in etheric waves of praises, blessings and gratitude. A thunderous applause followed right after the gesture as the council took their seat.
Eight pulsations, Lunok thought. Should be seven. Maybe it has something to do with the Cosmic Spark. I wonder if they even realized they pulsated eight instead of seven times.
“Thank you all,” Lunok said in the Shemsu frequency for all to hear. “From my core, thank you all so much.”
But no one heard him beyond the repeated chanting of his name.
“And now, for the big news,” Salok beamed.
She glanced at Collok and Mulok as Atlantia fell silent. Collok and Mulok nodded towards her, giving her the go ahead.
“We of the council would like to promote you to council member,” Salok announced with pride. “What say you, Lunok?”
Atlantia gasped at the honor the council had just offered to Lunok. The entire realm and dimension were silent as they waited for Lunok’s answer. His response ought to be easy. Who would not want to become a council member? This was an honor beyond anything a Shemsu could ever ask for.
Lunok smiled, not because of the council’s offer. He already knew that was coming, and not that he had seen it by accessing the Dimension of Time. That would have been a poor use of his ability. He smiled at Salok addressing him by his name, not as ‘child’. It was cute of her to assume there was no way he was going to turn down such an opportunity.
“Dear Council,” Lunok addressed the council.
The silence in Asah and Atlantia was beyond perfect.
“I am very grateful and honored that you hold me in such high esteem,” he continued. “But I must respectfully decline your offer.”
The shock and disappointment across the realm took a life of its own.
“Pray tell, why the refusal, child?” Salok asked.
Back to child, I see! Lunok thought. He saw how disappointed Salok and the rest of the council were. He could feel the disappointment emanating from the rest of the realm. It was just unfortunate that he had to decline.
“Dear Council,” Lunok replied. “During the many times I fell, I realized that my purpose extends far beyond Atlantia and Asah. I will not bore you with the details, but this is something I must do. This is why I must leave Atlantia and pursue this new purpose of mine.”
Salok leaned back in her chair and studied Lunok while the rest of Atlantia wondered what Lunok was talking about.
“I believe I speak for us all when I say I am quite shocked and disappointed with your decision,” Salok spoke calmly. “But I also speak for us all when I say that I trust your decision and know it is for the best. You have proven yourself, beyond any measure of doubt, what a phenomenal being you are. Therefore, it is our duty to give you all our blessing and support as you move on to pursue this purpose of which you speak, even though we are sad to see you leave us. This much, we owe you and this much, we bestow upon you.”
Salok glanced at her counterparts and they nodded their agreement.
“Thank you, Council Members,” Lunok said. “And thank you, my Shemsu brethren. Thank you all so much.”
“Before you leave, do you have any message for your team?” Collok asked. “They are still in the lower realms of their fall.”
“I have already left messages for them in one way or another, Council Father,” Lunok replied. “Thank you for asking.”
“You are quite welcome, Lunok,” Collok said and bowed his head.
Thank you for letting me go, Lunok thought as he too bowed his head. He squared his shoulders and tilted his head slightly upwards.
“Goodbye, dear council,” Lunok addressed the council. “Goodbye, Atlantia.”
Atlantia bid Lunok goodbye as he slowly dematerialized before everyone’s eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
ASCENSION
WE HAVE LOST many brothers and sisters,” Michael began his speech in front of the sea of angels and archangels gathered before him.
He looked even more glorious in his golden-yellow glow than ever before.
“If we had our way, they would all still be here with us. Alas, this is not so. But I tell you this, my brothers and sisters, their ends have not been in vain. For all the pain we have suffered, for every ended existence, we have become stronger and better. Because of their sacrifice, we have built a new Celestia and we can say most co
nfidently that there finally is peace in the realm and in the dimension!”
“BY THE WINGS OF MICHAEL!” an angel shouted from the crowd and there was cheering and applause.
Michael nodded humbly. He let the cheering and applause carry on briefly before he waved for silence.
“As much as it honors me greatly that you hold me in such high regard,” Michael gestured around, “all of this would never have come to pass were it not for your collective effort, strength, support, dedication and loyalty to Celestia. The Zarark is back where it belongs and we have a new governance which will soon be implemented. Most of all, there is absolutely no threat from Hell Realm, as you may have noticed. They have a new leader, whose interests are not akin to those of their former, now dead, leader.”
Wild applause followed.
“Speaking of threats,” Michael said with a hard tone of voice, “I’ll make a one-time offer to any spies or sympathizers of Hell Realm, who are foolish enough to still be here. Leave now and you will be spared. But if you stay behind, you will be immediately located and ended.”
A few angels and archangels teleported away to Hell. He waited some more and a few more teleported away.
“Now,” Michael continued, “I’d like to introduce the members of my inner circle. You already know most of them but here are our two newest members: Eliel and Palubiel. Please, step forward.”
Eliel and Palubiel stepped forward and there was a loud applause. Palubiel’s squadron started chanting ‘PALU’S WINGS! Palubiel waved at them.
“I’d also like to add that Eliel has received Mother’s special endorsement, and now he is Guardian of the Realm of Celestia,” Michael added and joined Celestia in applauding for Eliel. “I believe most of you don’t know who a guardian is. A guardian of a realm is just that, a guardian. It’s the most important status anyone can have and that comes with great responsibilities. He or she can only be selected by Mother and, therefore, has Mother’s blessing. Eliel is the first guardian Celestia has ever had. It is truly my honor to be the one to introduce him to you all.”
Eliel waved his gratitude towards Celestia and felt very honored. He walked towards Michael. They clasped forearms before hugging each other.
“Thank you, Michael,” Eliel whispered.
“No! Thank YOU, Eliel,” Michael replied in a whisper as well.
“Well, at least I know who’s Celestia’s best fighter now,” Eliel added humbly.
“Always welcome to train with me if you’d like,” Michael chuckled.
“It will be my honor,” Eliel bowed before turning and stepping to the side.
Palubiel also walked towards Michael and the two archangels clasped forearms as well. But when Michael made to pull his arm away, she crashed her body against his and gave him a tight hug of gratitude. She could barely contain her excitement and pride. Michael smiled at the cuteness of her gesture and there was even more applause from the rest of the realm. Palubiel and Eliel returned to their positions. Palubiel planted a slow kiss on Raphael’s lips and Uriel intertwined the fingers of her left hand in Eliel’s right hand. Nothing wrong with letting Celestia know that these two new superstars were off limits. There was some cooing and whistling from the crowd followed by another round of applause.
“Brothers and sisters,” Michael concluded. “I won’t bore you any further with long speeches. So, welcome to a new cycle, welcome to a new Celestia, thank you all once again and please, let the celebrations begin!”
“ALL HAIL MICHAEL!” an angel shouted from the crowd and all of Celestia joined in chanting ‘ALL HAIL MICHAEL!’ over and over again.
Uriel realized moments later during the party that Michael was nowhere to be found. She had an idea where he could be, though. She teleported over and saw him sitting on the ground by himself, seemingly lost in thought. She sat next to him and joined him in staring blankly ahead.
“Are you still angry with me, Michael?” Uriel asked.
“Not at all, Uriel,” he replied without stripping his eyes from the nothingness he was staring at. “You and Lunok were merely acting out your roles in the grand scheme of everything. It was Eliel who made me realize that everything was still a part of my fall. I fell the first time in the Garden of Aiden, I fell the second time during the first rebellion and I fell the third time when you told me the prophecies were a lie. But Eliel did not even know that the prophecies were a lie when he helped open my eyes to the truth.”
“What truth do you speak of, Michael?” Uriel asked, feeling genuinely curious.
“I was undergoing my own personal alchemy,” Michael replied. “In order to rise to my true identity, I had to die to the illusions I had built for myself. Eliel’s pep talk opened my eyes. Plus, the new cycle brought about some serious boosts this moment too. So, what am I, you may ask? My answer is…”
Michael stayed silent. Uriel was a little confused by his silence but then she grinned as she finally understood. She reached over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Perhaps I am no longer the wisest of us, Michael,” she said as she stood up from the ground. “But even the wisest of the wise must also party!”
“Right behind you,” Michael said as he laughed out loud.
“Do not make me come fetch you again,” Uriel joked and teleported away.
Michael sat for a moment longer before he took a knee and bowed his head.
“Thank you, Mother,” he said telepathically and teleported to the party.
“You are most welcome, my child,” Mother replied.
***
“You look different,” Yeshua said as he summoned a seat.
“Only from your perspective,” the being formerly known as Akasha replied via telepathy in a sexless tone of voice.
Yeshua sat directly opposite from the being formerly known as Akasha. It was genderless and Yeshua knew the only reason it took a form right now was for the fun of it. In its natural state, the being was also formless. Yeshua had perceived its formlessness earlier, which was a little jarring for him, despite his ability to function beyond the four major dimensions, hence the reason why the being formerly known as Akasha assumed a form; and by ‘form’ the being looked like a transparent, non-corporeal, humanoid silhouette carved out by a refraction of light around its curves.
“I am no longer polarized between Order and Chaos,” it explained via telepathy in the same sexless tone of voice. “Or Akasha and The Scribe, if that works better for you. This is my true ‘self’, the ‘self’ you experienced before I took upon this form, that is.”
“I understand,” Yeshua said.
There was a moment of non-awkward silence.
“Thank you,” Yeshua said. “For everything.”
“It is I who owes you plenty of gratitude, Yeshua,” it countered. “I must admit, I never saw you coming.”
Yeshua cocked an eyebrow in surprise.
“An expected reaction,” it said. “There were certain things Creation hid from me, especially after my polarization; things Creation could not risk me influencing, like you, Yeshua.”
Yeshua could sense there was a hidden message within the letters of the being’s words to him.
“What is next for you?” the being asked.
“I don’t know,” Yeshua replied honestly.
“Why did you decline the council’s offer?” it asked.
“I don’t know,” Yeshua replied. “I just know that Atlantia, Earth, Necheru and all the other realms I fell to are not for me anymore. I feel no attachment to anyone or anything anymore. I react to situations, but I feel nothing. And it’s not in a bad way. I can’t really explain it.”
“Which was your favorite?” the being asked.
“What are you referring to?” Yeshua asked.
He was a little confused by her question.
“You can still call me Akasha, if that helps,” the being said.
Yeshua could not quite tell, but he guessed the being was smiling.
“Okay, Akasha,” Yeshua sa
id. “What are you referring to?”
“The roles you assumed during your falls?” it replied. “Lunok, Deni, Yeshua, Mikum, Melchizedek, Enoch among others.”
“Oh,” Yeshua exclaimed. “Actually, I don’t have a favorite. There used to be a tie between Yeshua and Melchizedek. But not anymore.”
“Why is that?” it prompted.
“I don’t know,” Yeshua replied.
“You are losing everything you used to perceive as your identity, including your form,” it explained and gestured towards Yeshua.
Yeshua examined his hands and body. There was a gradual transmutation taking place and Yeshua was just now noticing. But that transmutation was far beyond just the physical.
“You are no longer identified with anything,” it added. “You even referred to yourself in the third person without realizing you did. ‘A tie between Yeshua and Melchizedek’.”
“An alchemy of being,” Yeshua said as his moment of realization hit him.
The being formerly known as Akasha remained silent.
“Well, I’ve answered many of your questions,” Yeshua said, trying to change the topic, though he had no reason to. “My turn now. So, what’s next for you.”
“I am leaving,” it replied flatly, much to Yeshua’s surprise.
“Leaving?” he asked. “Where to?”
“The Logos summoned me,” it replied. “I will be their newest member. New perfect cycle, new member.”
“Wow! Congratulations, Akasha!” Yeshua exclaimed. “This is great news!”
“Thank you,” it replied emotionlessly, but Yeshua did not take it personally.
“If you’re leaving, who will be in charge of this realm-dimension?” he asked.
The being formerly known as Akasha remained silent and in her silence, Yeshua had his reply.