It wasn’t until evening that Jesus and Cain returned to meet with the rest of us by the pool. I turned to see that Cain was by his side, looking content, but very pale, as if he had just recovered from crying a flood of tears.
I wanted to approach the spirit and ask him what had happened back at the river, but Jesus flashed me another glance and I felt like I ought to mind my own business.
Chapter Twenty-Seven-
That night, Jesus was standing by the shore of the telling pool. He was dimly glowing in the dark, but I was able to see Him distinctively.
“Are we ready to leave?” Asked Jenna, gazing at Him with excitement.
“Soon,” Jesus reassured her. “But first let Me show you something.” Jesus stretched out His right arm and held His hand above the water. I started to see images forming. I suddenly recognized the world of Purgatory, and was looking at the pyramid-shaped planet from top to bottom.
Unfortunately, there was no safe place in the world of Purgatory. Jesus showed us how far the kingdom of Heaven was from the top land of Guhd. We even got to witness the Evergrown Tree. The entire great tree was covered with ice from top to bottom. Its branches were stiff and frozen, and its leaves were all gone.
“The tree shall remain in its frozen state until the end of time,” said Jesus. “From this point on, the spirits of the Evergrown Tree will be stuck inside forever, and they shall not be released until the end of the one-thousand year reign.”
“This is all because they’ve rejected the worlds around them,” grunted Paul, startling us.
“Where’d you come from?!” Gasped Cain.
I glared at the man. He always seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Paul gazed at the image with contempt. “Those fools in the tree will join the hell spirits when every evil force is banished forever.”
“Gee,” said Dewey, peering at the vision. “To think we reached the top of that tree and nearly got to the next stage! Then we fall all the way back down…we could’ve started over right there at the base of the tree again!”
Lara cooed and hovered between me and Jesus. “Well, it’s wonderful that we’ve found our way to a land ever so close to Heaven.”
Truman had woken up and noticed us gathering by the shore. He suddenly gave a squawk and splashed into the image of Purgatory, ruffling the waters and dissolving the reflection.
“Truman!” Hissed Jenna, giving the SoulBird a swat.
“It’s too bad the vision in this telling pool isn’t very clear,” said Jesus, eying the image of Purgatory as the world was starting to vanish. “In Heaven, the telling pool would’ve been much clearer.”
I glanced up at Jesus. “How will we get to Primal now?”
Jenna huffed. “Too bad we can’t visit Heaven when it’s so close to us now…” she was looking longingly toward the northern horizon, where the meadow stretched further and further away.
Jesus gave both of us a reassuring look. “You will find your way back, someday.”
Paul crossed his arms and glared at us. “But you have to work before you can rest happily forever.”
I didn’t meet his gaze. I looked on toward the meadow, wondering if I could ever be worthy of Heaven even if I tried.
“It’s all because of me, isn’t it?” I muttered. Jenna gazed at me as I mumbled to myself. “I’m the stupid son of the devil and it’s my fault Purgatory is overrun by hell creatures.”
Jenna winced. “It’s not your fault! Lucien’s going to overrun the place whether you’re with him or not!”
Cain gasped. “What about the three golden SoulBirds?”
I suddenly widened my eyes. “Right! I totally forgot all about those spirits! Can’t they stop the rise of Hell once they are united together?”
“Yes,” said Jesus quietly, gazing into the telling pool. “My Father and I created those birds, and so did the Holy Spirit. But it would take even longer before you find the Three. For now, your only hope is to defeat the Satan Beast. Then you can hunt for the SoulBirds. After you find them, you may use them to keep the Satan Beast under control, and to make sure it never rises again.”
We all stood still with anxiety in our hearts.
But Jesus reassured us, “Do not worry. Tonight is your last night here, so make the most of it. Think about how far you’ve come, and how much farther you will have to go before you reach the gates of Heaven.”
So that night, I lied anxiously by the pool. None of us could sleep.
The saints were already gone, and so were the angels. All had left early with Paul to fight the Beast in Primal. The SoulBirds were the only ones with me, Jenna, and Cain. Apparently, Christ told us that Purgatory was too dangerous for us to fight. As soon as the angels defeated the Beast from Purgatory, we would be allowed to assist them in the battle against the Beast, over the planet of Earth.
I was getting more and more anxious as I envisioned how the battle must be. At the same time, I was very worried. I hoped Bernardo wasn’t too drunk to fight, or that Annabelle became too soft-hearted during battle.
After hours passed that night, I gave up trying to sleep. I sat up and looked to my left. Christ was kneeling by the pool. He seemed to be deep in prayer.
I watched Him closely. I could only imagine that He was probably speaking with the Father.
I was always nervous to approach Him when He was alone, but I was curious. I quietly crept up behind Him and watched Him carefully.
Suddenly, something flashed in the sky, and I was startled. A breeze blew toward me and I felt the presence of another spirit.
To my right, the bushes rustled softly and flower petals were gathering in the air to make a swirl. A light appeared in the spiraling swirl of petals, and a woman was gazing at me. An intense heavenly light glowed around her body and around her halo, and I had to look away for a moment.
“Do not fear, Zachariah,” said the woman carefully. Her voice was smooth and full of tenderness. She wore a blue and white headdress and a blue gown that wrapped around her heavenly body as she hovered in front of the spiraling petals. I gazed at her, and I knew at once that I was not in trouble. The lady had calm, angelic eyes, and her hands were clasped together under her chin.
And from behind her, Jesus turned and gazed at the lady hovering in front of me.
Dewey shifted and then awoke. He jumped back with a gasp, but said nothing as he stared with wonder at the lady.
I didn’t have to be told. I knew who this spirit was. This was Mary, the mother of Christ.
She raised her hands and the glowing petals behind her gracefully flowed over the sleeping spirits behind me. Jenna and Cain started to shift.
“Awaken, my children,” said Mary. The SoulBirds and the rest of the spirits opened their eyes and gazed with solemn wonder at the mother of God. “Come….” The glowing flowers were starting to light the night around us. “The battle is halfway over. It is time for you to leave this place.”
I felt a chill run through my spine. This was it. I looked around to gaze once more at the beautiful land around me. This was as close as I had gotten to Heaven, and I would never forget the few days I had spent here.
Jesus gathered the three of us together, and Jenna, Cain and I stood in front of Mary.
And we were all dissolved into the shining light.
I found my spirit drifting through a bright atmosphere where the clouds hovered around me, all white or pink. I felt the strongest sensation of happiness. My spirit was suddenly in the greatest mood I had ever been in, and I had that same urge to run on forever without stopping.
Jesus was by my side, and Jenna and Cain were at His other side. Mary was hovering above us.
The light above us was dimming down. I looked up, unblinking with awe as the Garden of Eden disappeared in the distance.
We were heading down to the land of the living—or what was left of it.
Finally, we landed on a golden path. Clouds surrounded us from either side, and even behind us. In front of us, the path
ended, but there was a brilliant swirl of light hovering above the edge. I felt a strong Spirit in that light. Jesus came forth and kneeled before the light. The rest of us did the same.
And from the brilliant light, there appeared seven angels.
I raised my eyebrows. I recognized that five of these seven angels were my saints—Grenada, Annabelle, Bernardo, Hoshinda and Tyler. All of them were lined horizontally, with a dark haired angel on the far left, and a light haired angel on the far right.
Behind me, a young angelic girl touched my shoulder and startled me. I gasped and stood up. I turned to meet the eyes of a green-haired young angel with a brimming yellowish face and a blue-green vest. She wore olive green shorts, and had her legs were quite long for her figure. Her angelic wings were grayish and small. But as I gazed into her small bird-like eyes, it all made sense to me.
“Gracinda!” I cried happily, recognizing the SoulBird’s spirit in this angelic figure. She had the long skinny legs like her earth type SoulBird feature, and her wings were small behind her shoulders. Her nose was long and pointy like the long beaks of the earth types. She looked dazzlingly pretty.
Grace chuckled. “Oh, Zach! You do recognize me!”
“There’s Micah,” I was gazing over at a small pale angel flying from behind. Like the air-types, Micah had long, large gracious white wings behind his shoulders. Because of their small bodies and tiny beaks, Micah had a small nose with a body that was no bigger than a five year old child. But overall, he was angelic and I felt happy to see him.
“Zach!” Breathed Micah as he landed by Grace.
“Micah,” I gazed down at the air-type. “Lexie would love to see you right now. Where’s Lara?”
Micah gave me a promising smile. “You’ll see.”
“Zach,” Jesus stepped to my side and pointed toward the light at the edge of the path. “Look forward.”
I faced the bright light as the seven angels all hovered higher. Four spirits came forth from the light, and each transformed into four large creatures. I looked over them from left to right.
Each of them had a human body with arms and legs, but each had a different head. The one on the far left had the head of a lion, and the next one was like the head of a calf. The next had the head resembling an ape or a human, and the last one on the right had the head of an eagle. Each had six, large gracious wings raised behind them, and their wings were covered with eyes both inside and out.
One of the creatures was calling my name. I felt the urge to come forwards. I stepped behind Jenna, ignoring her questioning gaze as she watched me joined the left side of the path with two of the four beasts. The one that resembled a lion was looking down at me with familiar eyes. It was almost twice my height.
But the creature’s eyes were tender and full of admiration as it stared down at me.
“Zachariah?” Spoke the beast. “Recognize me?”
I gasped and recognized that voice. “Dewey!”
The lion beast chuckled and gave a mischievous glint. “Actually, you can call me Dewelance.”
Dewelance. I remembered the first time I had met this spirit.
And then I recognized the other beasts. The beast with the head of a calf was Pete. I could recognize his grimacing smile and buff arms. His six wings were on fire, just as they had been when he was in his regular angelic form. He was the Beast of Strength.
The beast with the human head was Lara. I could recognize the wisdom and calmness in her eyes. She was the Beast of Wisdom.
And of course, the last one had to be Truman, the Beast of Swiftness. But I wouldn’t have guessed. The beast with the eagle head looked serious as it stared forwards with a straight look on its face. But I could recognize Truman’s eyes if I looked closely.
I turned to my right to share my joy with Jesus, but then I realized He was gone.
But then a strange rumble came about. A creature was coming forth from the light. As it came into view, I realized that it was a Lamb—a Lamb that was slain. Blood was stained over the Lamb’s wool.
And immediately, as I saw the looks on their faces, I turned toward the Lamb, realizing that this was Jesus Christ, the holy Lamb of God.
The Lamb’s gaze rested upon us, and as He met each of our eyes, everyone was caught with utter awe and astonishment. Immediately, everyone He looked at fell prostrate to the ground, including the elders and the four creatures. I even did so, myself, as I looked back into those seven eyes of the Lamb.
Then we all raised our heads and watched the Lamb as He stepped forward.
He faced the seven angels, and then spoke to us through our minds. I could hear His voice speak to me in my head as I watched Him.
“Watch carefully, Zach.” I stared at the Lamb as He faced forward. “Watch carefully, for this is the moment you have all been waiting for.
A green horse was galloping from the distance behind us. There were two saddles on its back for two riders. But right now, there was only one rider, and the second saddle behind him was empty.
“Hades……you are missing one other spirit,” Christ’s voice echoed through the Lamb as He stared at the horse’s rider.
Hades dipped his head. “I shall fetch him.” And I watched as the rider rode away. But I was too curious to let him disappear from my sight. I exchanged glances with the Lamb, who was nodding.
“Go, Zach,” echoed Jesus’ voice. “Go and follow him. The battle is not yet over.”
I realized the seven angels were already dispersing and disappearing through the light.
I nodded and then hurried after them. My vision immediately swept away, and I was looking down at the face of the Earth. The place had become worse now.
I caught Hades riding upon his pale green horse, galloping from the sky and entering the world below.
There, I saw the rider stop at a body lying motionless on the road. I felt my spirit stiffen with fear. The body was my Uncle E’s.
“Death,” Hades growled, glaring down at the unmoving body. The green horse snorted and shifted its feet at the sight of Uncle E as he shifted weakly under the command of Hades.
Uncle E trembled and gazed up at Hades, looking wide-eyed and fearful. “O-o-oh….y-you’ve come to fetch me?”
Hades growled, steadying his horse. “Get up. Our work must be done.”
“Oh….I am weak right now….” Uncle E held up a hand toward him. “Surely you’ll help me?”
Hades refused to get off his horse and gave Uncle E a stern look. “May the Lord punish you for not following His command. Now you are stuck with me again. You failed to keep your promise, and now your status remains. Get up, Death.”
Uncle E dropped his hand with despair and cried pitifully. The man slowly got up to his feet and Hades let his horse step forward. Hades pulled Uncle E to the saddle behind him.
As soon as Uncle E was upon the horse, the green horse let out a cry, and kicked its legs in the air. It rode forwards, and everywhere it went, death was spread throughout the entire land. Uncle E was weeping on Hades’ back as he aimed his sickle at any live being.
Immediately, I thought about my sister and Lexie. Death was headed toward the Temple and the Ark.
Chapter Twenty-Eight-
Jerusalem was nothing but an empty barren landscape. Up to this point, everything had been swallowed up by the hellfire pool.
Only the Temple and the Ark stood in its place. I found myself standing in front of the fiery hellfire pool. It continued to sizzle and swirl, but now it was no longer pulling anything in. I was alone, but I could hear Christ’s voice in my head.
“Jerusalem is gone, Zach. It is finished. Satan has taken it to his kingdom. But after the thousand-year reign, a New Jerusalem will take its place, and the glory of the Lord will abide with the New City forever and ever.”
Up ahead, I could see the Ark next to the Temple. I could hear the voice of my sister calling toward me.
“Zach…..Zachy…..” Her sweet voice lightened my spirits and I paced myself forward
s toward the Ark. The sky was in terrible shape above me, and I felt like it was ready to crumble and fall apart on me.
But even in the terrible state, I felt Jesus Christ watching me. I made it up to the front of the Ark, and there, my little sister Angeline was waiting patiently with her hands behind her back.
“Angeline…” I hurried up to her and gave her a hug.
“Zachy!” She was happy to see me, even when the entire world around her was falling apart. But her time would soon be up. In my hand I had a small seal, and I let go of her, looking at the seal. Then I gazed into her blue eyes.
“Angeline, where’s Lexie?”
Angeline gave a solemn look and her expression saddened. “Lexie died.” She said sadly.
“What?!”
“A big scary horsy came from the sky, and he had two ugly riders on its back. One of them looked at Lexie, and then she dropped down dead, right there on the step you’re standing on. They took her body away and threw her in the firepool.”
I gasped. Lexie……dead? I was dead. I was nothing but a spirit of the afterlife. Perhaps now, Lexie could join me—but she would be in a different world than me.
“Oh no…” I hung my head and felt bitter. I squeezed my eyes shut as they swelled up with hot tears. “Lexie….” I felt like the Earth would swallow me up, or the skies would blow me away. But then I looked up at the bloody black sky. Past that terrible haze and reddish glow, Lexie was in Heaven where she belonged. I could visit her in the afterlife. A new feeling was swelling inside of me, and I looked at Angeline with confidence.
She pointed at my right hand. “What’s that in your hand?”
I opened my hand and revealed to her a seal. “Angeline….” How was I supposed to tell her this? “This is a seal for the last souls on Earth. You and Lexie were the only living beings who have found favor with the Lord, so He has sent me here to fetch you for Him.”
Angeline gazed at me with wonder. “Really? God sent you to take me to Him?”
I nodded. “Yes. That’s what this seal is for. Take it, Angeline. It will grant you a safe passage to God’s kingdom.”
The Purgatory Saga #1: People of the Fire Page 31