Nanette was in the audience and thought that he was wonderful. Reid considered him brilliant. Wendy thought that she was in love and wished that she could eradicate Jezebel. Ethan wasn’t so sure.
It took a full five minutes for the commotion to end, but eventually the crowd settled and began to exit. As they did so, a proportion of the converts was discreetly asked to remain, while the majority was permitted to leave the amphitheatre.
Ethan was one of those asked to stay.
This smaller crowd was left for a time to ponder why they had been asked to remain behind. The only apparent commonality among each such spirit was that they were male.
Ultimately, once the rest of the crowd had departed, two spirits entered from behind a curtain on the staged area. There was something starkly different about these two beings as each had replaced their ordinary robes with quite different clothing, the attire being consistent with that worn by earthly military. The two spirits were not known to most of the attendees as yet. The shorter of the two, and not by a little, was standing on the right. He spoke first introducing himself.
‘Brothers, I’m General Anas.’
There was a murmur from the crowd of spirits as each was familiar with the term ‘general’ from their earthly studies. Both generals heard these murmurs and were pleased. General Anas continued:
‘We have asked you to remain behind because we see in you great potential. As such, you have been chosen to be part of a select band that will be essential to securing the safe adoption of Lucifer’s plan. I will speak more of the role that you will have the opportunity to play shortly, but first General Silick is going to describe the type of personal qualities that a spirit must possess in order to undertake this vital role.’
There were murmurs of excitement, pride and general conceit within the room. These subsided as Silick commenced.
‘Brothers, you have been selected as you are the best of the best. In his wisdom, Lucifer has deduced that it may be necessary for us to employ some unusual methods in order to secure the safe adoption of the new plan. Unfortunately, not all within the Kingdom have your wisdom and they simply do not understand the peril that they face under Father and Mother’s plan. Were we simply to allow that plan to be adopted, then those poor spirits would surely perish. For this reason, Lucifer has suggested that we go to any lengths necessary to protect these unfortunate spirits from themselves.’
Although this crowd didn’t particularly care about the outcome for any other spirit, they listened intently for details of the role that they would play. Silick continued:
‘I will, for a moment, outline the qualities that we believe we have found in each of you. These qualities are absolutely essential if you are to fulfil the role that we have in mind for you. The role carries with it great honour, but we would ask that if you do not feel that you have the requisite personality traits that you would please leave the amphitheatre and speak nothing further of this meeting to anyone. The qualities are; strength, agility, power, a hatred of our parents’ plan and a willingness to do absolutely anything to ensure the adoption of Lucifer’s plan. Now, if any of you lack even one of these strengths please leave.’
Ethan squirmed in his seat. He had never thought of himself as being strong, agile or powerful and he was less certain about Lucifer’s plan, having received a personal barrage from its architect. Nevertheless he remained, assuming that if others had seen these qualities in him then he simply must not be aware of his own strengths.
Each of the other attendees looked far more confident of their place in the crowd than Ethan felt.
‘Ah my brothers, I am so relieved that we have judged you correctly, and I’m excited for what the future holds for you on account of your faithfulness. General Anas will now address you with some more details of the privilege that will be offered you.’
The lanky frame of Silick then took a couple of steps backwards, while his petite companion once more stepped forward to address the gathering. Before he spoke, you could have sliced the anticipation with a knife.
‘Brothers, I too am relieved that we have judged you correctly. General Silick and I have been watching you for some time, observing your strengths. We watched each of the others that were in the hall previously, but they did not compare to you. We took such time, and went to such great pains, in your selection because the opportunity that you will be offered will be absolutely crucial to the safe adoption of the new plan. Our wise and gracious leader has foreseen that there may need to be a battle in order to secure the safe passage of the plan. From your diligent studies of the earths each of you will be familiar with the term battle.’
At this juncture there was a cry of excitement and approval. Each of these converts was well aware of exactly what a battle entailed. In fact, as part of their selection criteria, Anas and Silick had observed the general populace of this particular stream of graduates and had identified those that appeared most stimulated by the gore of battle.
‘As you know, a battle in mortality is a wondrous thing. We have watched many dictators and generals obtain great power through war.’
Sounds of approval escaped the floor once more.
‘Again, you would be aware that mortality affords certain advantages in the field of battle inasmuch as the mortal body is subject to pain and death. Thankfully though our beloved and brilliant leader has devised a way in which it is possible for us to attack other spirits who are worthy of this punishment.’
To this, a veritable shout of elation escaped the gathering and Anas had to wait a few moments for the group to settle and refocus.
‘As such, it is my privilege to reveal that each of you has been selected to join the ranks of Lucifer’s army.’
Again joy exuded from the excited nominees. Anas allowed them to speak excitedly to one another for a few moments before continuing.
‘Starting tomorrow, you will be taken to a secret location and will commence training for the time when you will be required to participate in what is sure to be a great victory.’
Again Anas was forced to pause before he was able to dangle a further carrot.
‘Brothers, as you can see, General Silick and I have been selected as generals and we will oversee your division. A great honour I’m sure you will agree, but I don’t want you to think for a moment that you have ended your own progression, nor ceased the opportunity to receive further accolades. Unlike Mother and Father, Lucifer is determined to reward the faithful.’
Having received a further shout of acclamation, Anas, whose dark hair was parted on one side of his round face, looked slyly through the brown slits that constituted his eyes before continuing.
‘You may recall from your earthly studies that there are many ranks in any decent army. Accordingly, within Lucifer’s army there are many other positions of authority that must be filled. Within your division we will require a colonel, a major, two captains, two lieutenants and a number of sergeants and corporals.’
Each attendee of the meeting suddenly took a sly look at the others in the room.
General Silick then stepped forward and took over to ensure that this intra regiment competition was balanced with a healthy dose of inter regiment competition.
‘Now my brothers, it would be unfair if we did not inform you that there are other regiments that will be training in secluded locations throughout the Kingdom. Each regiment will ultimately become a component of Lucifer’s grand army. While we expect that we will need to select officers, sergeants and corporals for each regiment, if any regiment proves itself to be of particularly high calibre then some members of that unit may be assigned to preside over other units.’
General Silick’s words had the desired effect and the listeners ceased looking slyly at one another, unifying in a combined hatred of the competing divisions.
One final revelation awaited the soldiers prior to the close of the meeting.
‘Now, my noble spirits, there is one final honour that I must bestow before we close t
his meeting,’ continued Silick. ‘There is one among you who has been selected for a most prominent position.
‘You will find during training that it will be necessary for us to practice our attacks. The more that we practice the stronger we shall become, and the more devastating will be our attacks upon our opponents.
‘While the temptation is for us to simply practice on some unsuspecting spirit, our noble president is concerned that this may result in repercussions within the Kingdom. Were the victims to report the attack to our parents, and if the act could be traced back to our armed forces, our entire battle preparation may be placed in jeopardy.
‘For this reason, it is essential that we have one among us who voluntarily endures these attacks for the betterment of his unit.
‘Now, both General Anas and I have been watching each of you very carefully in order to identify the one who is strongest and most capable of making this sacrifice on behalf of his division. After much consideration we are pleased to announce our decision, and we would like to invite this immensely strong spirit onto the stage so that all may admire him.’
Again the room was thick with anticipation as each spirit, save one, prayed that the honour would be bestowed upon him.
Silick waited a moment to build the tension in the room, and having achieved this purpose he announced: ‘The spirit who will receive the honour within this regiment is Ethan.’
The wrong Ethan stood to claim the honour and had to be re-seated, an indignity that he would not easily forget. The Ethan that the general was referring to, was too shocked to move, being the same soul who had received the personal attention of Lucifer just a few days prior.
The confusion was sorted through, and a few moments later a rather bewildered spirit stood on stage wondering how on earth he could have been selected as the strongest among so many fierce spirits.
General Anas then closed the meeting with the following. ‘This, my fine spirits, will be your colonel if he endures his sufferings well. If he does not, then we will have to select a new colonel from among you.’
Following this final comment, all eyes focused on Ethan with a look of jealousy and disdain that could not only be seen but also tasted.
Having received directions to the location at which they were to meet on the morrow the spirits filed out, each of them despising Ethan. Ethan was one of the last to exit and he did so slowly, not knowing whether to feel honoured or terrified. Not being accustomed to such excitement he returned to his abode for some quiet contemplation, before it was time to move to the training grounds.
50 combat training
The next day the new unit met in the selected location precisely on time, each recruit being determined to make a good impression.
The first day's training was not to be too rigorous. Speed, agility and power exercises were the order of the day. In each of these Ethan featured in the bottom quartile and by day's end he was the butt of many jokes.
‘The colonel has the agility of a tree.’
‘With your strength, you could give a flea a real run for its money.’
‘For a colonel you do a bloody good impersonation of a private.’
This is just a small sample of the taunts that he received, and each was met with laughter and approval by the rest of the division.
The look of Ethan also seemed to lend itself to their ridicule. Although Ethan was of medium height, his slouched posture, which was a function of his lack of self-esteem, made him appear shorter than that. His build was also quite slight and, despite the crooked path he had taken, compared with his comrades he still retained a sort of boyish innocence about him, which was consistent with his baby face.
Ethan was tempted to quit but it was the two generals that kept him motivated. They assured him that he was doing well and they told him that an abundance of speed, power or agility was not essential to fulfil the sacrificial role. It was a matter of endurance, and they assured him that he was immensely strong in that area.
The generals explained to Ethan that the men were naturally jealous of him, but that he would earn their respect by enduring their attacks. Then they would gladly accept him as their leader. All of this reassurance was effective in keeping Ethan motivated, despite the abuse from his colleagues.
He finished the first week with a measure of hope and returned to his abode. Once there, as he tried to relax, he reflected upon the path that he had taken to his current position. The grand collection of tier three graduates was made up of those who were power-thirsty and those who were slothful followers looking for an easier path.
Ethan was not overly power-hungry and thus he was more accurately described as lazy.
In the early days of his development in the Kingdom he had applied himself to learning and growth, but gradually he had lost interest. It had been years since he had attended a class, and he spent the better part of his time mulling around and slacking off. Unfortunately, this absence of purpose had had a disintegrating effect on his feelings of self-worth. For this reason, he had become an insecure spirit who found it difficult to feel accepted. Without classes to attend his opportunities to make friends diminished, and his falling self-confidence made it difficult for him to make friends, and feel accepted, during the course of being idle.
Increasingly, he had taken to remaining in his abode. It wasn’t that he particularly liked being alone, it was simply that he lacked the confidence to not be alone. Gradually, his abode became his prison. While the door to his cell was unlocked, increasingly he lacked the strength or will to push it open.
The new cause had come as a breath of fresh air to Ethan. It was something new and exciting and it seemed to offer the type of shortcut that is so appealing to one who has failed to seize his opportunities.
Prior to the presentation of the alternate plan, Ethan had been concerned about what would befall him on earth. As he didn’t attend classes anymore, and had ceased to interact with other spirits in a meaningful way, he had very little comprehension of what would occur on earth, but he knew enough to suspect that he was going to find it very difficult.
Certainly in the early days, when he did attend classes, he had been taught that the more he strived to develop good qualities and useful talents, the greater his chance of success on earth. So increasingly, Ethan had operated with some comprehension that he had brought his current state of being upon himself, and that this state was going to have a negative effect upon his entire destiny.
Enter Lucifer’s plan. What a revelation it had been! A plan that appeared to remove the natural consequences of his slothfulness; he was all ears. He required little if any persuading and wholeheartedly embraced all that he heard.
It was far easier to blame his parents for his current quandary than to acknowledge that it was his own doing. Lucifer’s orators were so very persuasive in convincing him that he had somehow been wronged and he was happy to be persuaded by them. For a small period, this sudden sense of purpose had actually added to his self-esteem. Unfortunately, the path that he was led down ultimately cut back into it.
Initially, Ethan was not as partial as some of his counterparts to the visual earthly content displayed to tier two and three students. As he was not power-hungry, the thrill of taking power by force, did not appeal much to him. Likewise the lusts of the flesh didn’t appeal to him initially. Gradually though, by exposure, he did come to be absorbed by the physical lusts of the flesh. Rape didn’t appeal to him, as this was more the domain of the power-thirsty. However, joining with others in wilful lustful acts on earth became very appealing.
As his thought processes disintegrated, under the weight of his unclean thoughts, his self-esteem again started to give way. He continued, however, to complete the tier three program as he saw this as his only hope. He knew that in the absence of an easier plan there was no way he would make it back from earth to the Kingdom. Despite the abuse that he had ultimately endured at the hands of Lucifer, he saw no alternative.
Perplexingly, Ethan�
��s diminishing self-esteem seemed to be entirely at odds with the self-confidence of his power-thirsty comrades. The vain imaginations of their deranged minds had temporarily given a boost to their self-esteem. Each pictured himself ascending to the top of the pile, at the expense of all others. Before long they would begin to doubt themselves, at intervals, and their self-esteem would become brittle. Like Lucifer, they would swing between illusions of grandeur, and extreme insecurity, at increasingly close intervals. Mood swings would then prevail, and they would become less and less pleasant to associate with.
Ethan did not comprehend any of this. All he saw was that some of his tier three associates appeared to be very confident and capable. It was the cream of this power-thirsty crop that had been selected for his regiment, and for this reason he felt entirely out of his depth.
This was his state as he sat amongst that elite group in their very first meeting, as they were delivered the happy news that they had been handpicked for battle. Ethan was surprised to be asked to remain behind, and of course he was absolutely flabbergasted when he was selected for the most prominent position. He was the only spirit in the room that didn’t want that honour. He didn’t even want to be in the regiment. He would have far preferred to have been excluded from that meeting altogether. He didn’t want to go to earth and return to the Kingdom in a blaze of glory, he just wanted to be able to sneak back in via the rear door.
Amongst this myriad of insecurities he did not have the confidence to share his feelings with anyone else. For this reason, he saw that he had little choice but to follow the path along which he was being led.
It had been many years since he had accepted an invitation to meet with either of his parents. Thankfully though, the place of his parents had been taken by two spirits that he was already developing a particular liking for. The encouragement that he received from Generals Anas and Silick was like moisturiser for his soul. In them he found support as they reassured him regularly and also defended him from the taunts of the remainder of his regiment. For reasons that were entirely foreign to him, they appeared to have confidence in him. They seemed to see in him something that he did not. He took comfort from them and tried his best to please them. If they were right about him, perhaps he could become something far greater than he gave himself credit for. By focusing upon his beloved generals he was able to gain a measure of rest.
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