The Third Heaven: The Rise of Fallen Stars

by Donovan Neal

  “Your majesty, forgive this outburst, but why hast thou assembled the host of Heaven, for El rests, and the God King abides in his temple. Why then are we here?”

  Lucifer looked upon the crowd and spoke. “Hear me, host of Heaven. From the start of our kind, thou hast seen my face, and I have called thee to praise the name of El. From the beginning, I have seen you birthed from the Stones of Fire. From the beginning, I have presented you to El that He might announce his word to you.

  "But no more. For even eternity must end, and an end has come indeed. I have not borne witness to another Elohim since the creation of man. Nay, the Kiln burns no more to ignite the stones that animate our kind. Instead, we hear in the distance the hunger pains of the abomination of Hell. A new furnace the Lord hast made to consume our kind! Is this to be our fate? We are now commanded, we who stand at the apex of creation, the first borne of all things, we who uphold all things by the word of his power, are now asked to set aside for another! We are destined to teach, nay to serve, this flesh borne thing of mud and clay. Indeed, with every beginning, there must be an end, an end to the lie that we were made to move stars, to breathe life into creation. Nay, the true revelation of our purpose is now made clear with the creation of the clayborne and the construction of Hell. We are to be slaves, and this, despite my love for El, I will not stand for. I cannot stand for! I will fight Him; fight this trickery of He who would subjugate us for all eternity. Join me, and we shall usurp El, and free ourselves of his leash. Go to the mountain of God with me, and we shall rule the heavens, and I will guide you as I always have, and my face shall be to you as beloved, and ye shall know peace.

  "But know this, El’s power and this realm of Hell are not to be feared. I would not stand for false judgment on our brethren, and thus I, the First of Angels, have braved the maw and have returned. See the impotence of El to construct a prison that can be escaped.”

  Abaddon moved from behind Lucifer and stood by his side, and many in the crowd gasped and stood stunned, but the gravity of Lucifer’s words rung true to many, and the rumblings of discontent and dissention grew among different ones in the crowd.

  “I cannot understand why God would make a Hell for us!”

  “What is man that he is mindful of him?”

  “El hast gone too far!”

  Finally, one word among all others rang out toward the balcony and hit the earshot of both Lucifer and Abaddon.

  “Traitor!”

  Lucifer scoured the crowd to identify who would blaspheme against him. Soon the word spread from one voice to another, and one could no longer make out who was on the Lord’s side and who sided with the cause of Lucifer.

  Abaddon looked at Lucifer waiting for permission to do what Lucifer was hesitant to do.

  “You see, God King, there can be no turning back now. Would El tolerate such blatant disregard for his rule? If you are to be King, then you must do what must be done.”

  Lucifer grimaced at Abaddon’s words and tightly closed his eyes. Why do they not understand? Do they not see that blind allegiance to EL means enslavement to man? Why must it come to this?

  “Traitor!” was the cry of the multitude. “Traitor!”

  “Abaddon is a murderer, and El is the living God," said an angel, “I will not abandon my God!”

  Lucifer’s eyes widened as he gazed the cityscape, and he lifted up his hands to quiet the crowd.

  Yet the throng failed to silence, and the more Lucifer gestured for calm, the more they clamored for his own removal.

  “You are not a friend to God!” said one.

  They then mocked him as a herald for daring to pretend that he stood for the cause of El.

  Others came to his defense, and they argued with each other, but it was clear, many would not be turned. Lucifer’s heart quickened, his stone glowed, and he could not resist the urge to scratch at his chest. His face contorted in anguish and grief, and a tear ruefully fell from his eye at his decision and the scene that now played before him. His lips moved cursing El unconsciously as he spoke. Lost in bitterness, his mind frustrated over goals denied. The hosts of Heaven were not united in their love of him over El. Lucifer seethed as his ears received a call for his own imprisonment for betraying El. Distraught, he backed away from the balcony so as not to be seen and covered his face in his hands.

  Abaddon looked down from the balcony upon the restless crowd and then turned warily to his master. “Lucifer!” said Abaddon. “What is thine command? You desire to lead us. Then lead!”

  Awakened from his ruminations, Lucifer wiped the tears from his eyes. His brow became hard, and he turned and spoke firmly to Abaddon.

  “Destroy them.”

  Abaddon leapt over the balcony and landed among the crowd; his feet made the ground shake, and cracked the golden glass street below. Silence overtook the throng, for his presence was imposing, and whispers were all that was heard. One angel looked in defiance at the great Arelim and walked directly to face him.

  “You, ‘Destroyer,’ are a blight in Heaven and why El consigned you to Hell. Your very presence is an offense to me.”

  Abaddon was want to correct him, but simply grasped the angel by the stone in his chest, crushed it within the palm of his hands, and threw the lifeless body to the ground.

  Like wildfire, the throng scattered while others leaped to attack him; violence erupted round about. And from the great Chittim balcony that was his perch, Lucifer, Son of the Morning Star, watched as Heaven degenerated into civil war, watched as brother fought against brother, watched as his plan for Heaven’s control took shape, and watched as angels battled each other to dissolution. Lucifer clenched his teeth, tears filled his eyes, and he muttered, “El, you will burn in the very Hell thou hast made for our kind, for know of a surety that I come for you.”

  ********************

  Michael moved and ducked kicks and punches thrown wildly at him. He grabbed the wings of one angelic combatant and flung him into another. The underworld was rife with battle and the smell of dissolution was in the air, but it was Charon who was the source of all things chaotic as the lumbering giant of God’s vengeance made his way to the surface; nothing stopped him. He merely consumed whatever stood in his way.

  Charon seemed preoccupied, oblivious to all others around him, and attacked only if attacked. Angels in their collective wisdom moved from his path and steered clear of him, focusing instead on one another. Charon was a force to himself and not to be interfered with.

  Thus, the former prisoners of Tartarus, and Michael fought against those loyal to the cause of Lucifer. The cavern shook, for it could not contain the violence, and upon the surface of the earth, the ground swelled upwards and erupted in volcanic ash and thunder as the ground exploded, and Elohim after Elohim burst from the ground locked in combat. The ash of clouds mixed with Elomic blood as bodies filled the air and the surface of the ground around Athor disintegrated into a morass of angels slashing, hacking, and swinging against their foes.

  As Michael surveyed the scene, he saw that the Earth had also erupted in madness, the natural response to Elohim no longer watching over seedling and animal. Vegetation itself had arisen against friend and foe alike, and the sky darkened with winds run amok as the elements themselves were unleashed to battle on each one's behalf.

  Michael beheld that the Earth was in agony, her body ripped to shreds as Elohim at cross-purposes with one another used her to do their will. Smoke filled Athor from the distance, and Michael discerned that the battle was planet wide. Michael could only imagine what the heavens looked like. He looked skyward and knew that somehow he must bring the madness to an end. He knew that Raphael had escaped, dragged into the great walls of the Halls of Annals by a force unknown. He knew that only in Heaven could he cause the battle here to cease; therefore, he looked to Iofiel who stood fighting off enemies of the state. Michael ran towards him, ducked, and weaved among angels until he reached his side.

  “I must return to Heaven. Only ther
e can this be stopped before the Earth itself is torn to sunder. I leave but place thou in command of the host here. Fear not, for the Lord is on our side.”

  Michael turned himself skyward and uttered the Elomic command to open the realms and create a Ladder to Heaven. He lifted himself to depart, broke the atmosphere, and found himself hurtled past cloud and into the darkness of space. The Ladder twisted, turned, and arched to the Third Heaven, and in the distance, Michael saw it, the waypoint of Heaven, but the way was shut, held in check by an Elohim with a flaming sword. Within seconds before he crashed into oblivion, Michael violently turned his body to avert his own dissolution, arched the Ladder back towards Earth, and crashed like a meteor into her waiting arms. As an artillery shell finds its target, Michael flung himself into a group of Lucifer’s forces. The blast of the Ladder’s energy blew apart ground and flesh. All Elohim in the vicinity of the impact found their stones shattered or cracked, and they fell to the ground in agony or were vaporized. For a moment, all had stopped fighting to see the site, as the charred ground and smoke revealed the white-hot glow of the Builder of Heaven. As smoke wafted through the air from the crater that now adorned the ground, Michael rose from bended knee and spoke high into the air so that all could hear.

  “Heaven is at war, and the way to her is shut.”

  ********************

  Lucifer quickly left his bedroom and headed downstairs; his entourage of Ashtaroth and Lilith accompanied him. The walls shook, and dust fell from the ceiling, for the battle for Jerusalem had begun.

  “My Lord, your plan for Heaven is coming to pass,” said Ashtaroth. “The fighting in Elysium and on Earth hast divided Heaven’s forces. With El himself withdrawn from battle, He hast made it possible to strike at the Godhead, and in his weakness, we shall be made strong.”

  Lucifer frowned and spoke, “No, my plans are not as I desire. For brother is set against brother. This is not my perfect will, and I will see it end. Lilith, secure the library that we might have knowledge of our enemies' movements. Ashtaroth, continue to walk with me." Lilith left his master and motioned two guards to accompany him. Lucifer watched until they were out of earshot.

  “I have a task for you, one unique to your abilities and one I can impart to none other." Ashtaroth stood silent, bowed his head, and waited for instruction.

  “Go with Abaddon. He will need to be brought into remembrance of why we are here. Stay with him Astarte, remind him that we are not here to obliterate all that exists. I fear that without my influence, he would bring ruin to us all, and our plan would come to naught. Do whatever thou must to keep him in the way.”

  “And if he rebels against thy will, Lord King?” asked Ashtaroth.

  Lucifer paused, his brow wrinkled, and his eyelids closed. He turned, looked sternly at Ashtaroth and spoke without fluctuation. “Then let dissolution be his end and assume head of the army in his stead. Are you clear in your purpose, Astarte?”

  “I am clear, my Lord.” Ashtaroth bowed and set himself to leave his master.

  Lucifer watched as Ashtaroth walked away, looked towards the mountain of Hell, spread his wings, and lifted into the sky. Lucifer flew towards the Maw and thought to himself, It is time to bring this sad season of El’s reign to a close.

  ********************

  Abaddon and his cadre smashed their way through throngs of angelic resistance. With his great sword, Abaddon cut down soul after anguished soul. Limbs flailed as all who stood within his path were hewn asunder. Abaddon gloated as each angel fell before him. His lips curled in a smile as his sword drew Elomic blood

  The denizens of Heaven were not prepared. They had never known violence. Now violence was unleashed against their own, by their own. Surprise and confusion were the tactics of choice Lucifer sought to use in his battle against the populace. Yet, surprise and confusion quickly dissipated as allegiances formed across Heaven's landscape. With battle lines drawn and bodies assailed against body, Elomic blood spilled onto the golden streets like water from a tap.

  Each angel’s special ability was unleashed in the termination of eternal life. Their Elomic gifts used not to build but to beat back horde after oncoming horde of angels who defied El’s will. The streets of Heaven filled with those using their hands, feet, and wings to defeat those who held sword and spear.

  Across the cityscape they parried and thrusted, ducked and weaved, and flew at each other, stopping sword with clasped hands, kicking, and punching until Heavens ranks began to decimate; until the countless could be counted. Heaven’s air filled with the clouds of dissolution, and the ground with the blue blood of Elohim lined the streets.

  The armies of Abaddon marched from the palatial abode of Lucifer through the residential quarters of Heaven and set fire to home and estate.

  “Burn them with fire!" commanded Abaddon. "Let it all burn.”

  The officers of Abaddon obeyed, and Ares was swift to carry out his master’s commands. Each dwelling that they passed was set to flame, and smoke rose high into the air. Abaddon moved with speed, his effortless ability to destroy now increasingly evident as he cut down all who stood in his way.

  The army of Lucifer continued its march through the burbs of Heaven and made their way to the Golden Path, the center lane that would take them to the throne of the Mountain of God itself. Abaddon looked ahead and saw nothing but the towering spires and the multitude of angel fold before them. He looked upon the masses of oncoming angels that raced towards him and knew that more were with El than were with them. There were simply too many to kill, too many who had jeered and mocked the Son of the Dawn, but enough to enact his vengeance; to mete out his punishment to all who witnessed his humiliation at the hands of El. Like perfume, Abaddon smelled the fear that invaded the consciousness of beings who knew not trembling. He wallowed and smiled in gleeful intoxication and marched towards his audience with El where Lucifer and he would bring justice to the God King.

  Abaddon smiled and waved to his ground soldiers to advance the burning of Heaven. The smell of house and fallen bodies filled the air. The crack of timber and rock, and the screams of angels echoed in Abaddon’s ears.

  Ashtaroth had made his way to catch up with the front and looked to see all that was wrought. He saw the destruction of Heaven's habitations and the bodies that lined the ground in the wake of Abaddon’s march. He pushed through cadre after cadre of angels aligned to their cause, and it was then that he saw Abaddon reach for the horn to signal what Lucifer had forbade.

  “Abaddon no!”

  Abaddon turned to see Ashtaroth, and their eyes locked. Abaddon smiled and put his lips to sound the Horn of Lucifer to summon the legions who waited on Earth.

  Lucifer’s horn pierced the ears, and immediately the sky filled with what looked like falling stars. The boom of a Ladder opened up above them and then another, and then as far as the eyes could see. Ladders dotted the sky and explosions reverberated throughout the city. Thousands of angelic troops poured into Heaven from Ladders directed into buildings, and those not behind the safety of Abaddon's troops were obliterated as the first and Third Heavens attempted to occupy the same space.

  Angels upon gryphons and other winged steeds and Elohim that flew descended from the portals that opened in the midst of the sky; they came through as bees whose nest had been disturbed. Those that once thought to fight Abaddon scattered; as everywhere about them reality was warped, and new legions faithful to Lucifer attacked without mercy, striking down whoever did not wear their Lord's mark.

  Abaddon looked to Ashtaroth and spoke. “Isn’t it glorious? Let it burn, Astarte! Let it all burn!”

  Ashtaroth looked upon Abaddon as spittle dribbled from the Destroyer’s mouth and knew that Lucifer was right to send him.

  Abaddon must be stopped at all costs.

  ********************

  Raphael ran towards the back of the Hall of Annals as the mountain shook.

  Dust and rock fell from the ceiling as the rumble of battle could be he
ard from outside.

  “We must work quickly,” said Raphael. “To secure this place, for it surely will be a target of Lucifer to hold its secrets.”

  “But why?” asked Jerahmeel. “Why this place?”

  “Because in this place, the hidden things even from the foundations of the world can be made known, and El hast decreed to whom might know these things. Lucifer in his grab for power would of a surety have this place. This must not be. Come quickly; I must show you something.”

  Jerahmeel quickly followed Raphael deeper into the catacombs of the Hall of Annals, and pulled from a sealed glass cabinet a tome of record. Each leaned to brace himself as books fell to the floor, and the booming thunder became louder.

  “What is this?

  “The Tome of Iniquity, said Raphael. "El has purposed it sealed and to be opened only for such a time as this.”

  “Wait," said Jerahmeel, "El knew that all this would happen?”

  “El knows all. We are merely witness to what he chooses to reveal, and there is much that lies within the mount: those things that are past, those things, which are, and even those things that are yet to be. This tome El trusted to be shown now. What you will see hast been seen only by El, Lucifer, myself, and now you.

  Raphael reached within his cloak and pulled a key and with it unlocked the golden seal that encased the Tome of Iniquity.

  Raphael moved to exit from the room. “Observe quickly; we must depart soon. The rumblings of the mountain can only mean that Lucifer’s forces are close. When you are done, we shall plan how to defend against this threat.”

  Raphael closed the door behind him.

  Jerahmeel looked at the book. It sparked and glowed. Smolder and heat lifted from its thick bound cover. It smelled of fire and brimstone and stunk. Jerahmeel approached as he covered his nose and began to cough; his throat scratched and phlegm settled in his throat. Waves of nausea overwhelmed him with each step that he took. He reached forth his hand to touch the book, and it festered and sizzled with boils as his fingers lighted on the cover.