by S. B. Niccum
Immediately, I feel a unity that I’ve never felt before. It’s a kinship with my fellow Earthlings that I’ve never experienced. We are as one. Rooting for one team—the only team that’s ever counted—team Earth. We, the unified host of Heaven, are going to save our planet! We are going to fight for it like we’ve never fought for anything before. We are going to beat the forces of evil that might cause us to lose our beloved Mother Earth, so we can link with it, and be one with it, the way it was meant to be. We all finally understand, and the realization spreads like wildfire through the link—Earth will be Heaven, not some far away place that we’ve never known. Earth! Good old planet Earth! And we need to save her now. We need to save our future Heaven.
It suddenly dawns on us what has been the Second One’s plan all along. It all boiled down to this one fact. If we didn’t save our brothers and sisters, we didn’t save Earth. If we didn’t save Earth, we didn’t get Heaven. If we didn’t get Heaven, we would all end up in a lower form of eternal existence, and that would be Hell. The Second One was counting on us not being able to unite; he was banking on us not being our brother’s keeper. But he figured wrong!
This new understanding spreads as well through the Link, and we all now understand what we are fighting for. We are not just fighting for the ones we love, but for everyone and everything. None of us will be complete without each other, and that encompasses everything—humans, plants, animals, and the earth itself from where we sprang—we have to save every living thing or none will be saved. When that thought is shared, more lights shoot out from the empty spaces of Heaven and from every angle.
I look up and see a bird overhead, bursting into light as it flies. I run outside the building and step on the turf, the spiritual grass beneath my feet is glowing, and I notice that all the spiritual plant life of Paradise starts to glow too. A wave of color sweeps through Paradise, engulfing everything in its path. As I look and marvel, I catch a glimpse of the Cherub who had been giving us instructions. She’s out of the building too and looking fixedly at me. “Well done,” she mouths at me. Then she turns, spreads her downy white wings, and flies away.
I notice that my pendant is glowing. It’s a miracle that I notice this at all, really. Everything is aglow, and so bright that I might have missed it altogether, but as I lift it, I notice that others have shining pendants as well and because we are still Linked, all the other spirits notice their pendants, and lift them up to see what they say. Connected as we are, we feel not only each other’s consciousness, but also that of other beings we’ve never felt before—animals, plants, and other intelligences we don’t understand—but now we know exist. Together we read the same thing.
Fight.
Chapter 19
“Tess, I want you to see this. Come join me,” my good friend, John the Revelator, calls me personally through a separate Link, putting the other Link on hold for me, so that I can hear him.
“Right now?” I ask. I’m actually enjoying myself; I don’t want to leave Heaven. Something big is about to happen and I want to be part of it.
“Yes, right now! You won’t regret it. I want you to see what I’m about to see.”
“Fine,” I say petulantly. I owe John, so I break off the Link with the rest of Heaven, and start for mortal Earth. John is kind enough to show me a mental path to follow, so I won’t get lost. I laugh at this, because he knows how directionally challenged I am. Something interesting happens, though, as I enter the mortal realm and start to follow the map—it’s making sense! I’m not just blindly following the map anymore; I’m actually oriented! I know where I am, and I know where I’m headed. I feel a pull, like a magnet—it’s the north—I feel the north pulling me like it pulls the needle in a compass. It’s not like a physical pull; it’s more like an awareness that it’s there, like how you feel someone’s presence when they enter a room. It’s an amazing feeling; it’s grounding, and gives me a sense of security and assurance that I’ve never experienced before.
Looking below, I see landmasses, rivers, oceans, and I’m able to recognize what is what, as if looking at a map. Right now, I’m flying over Asia, and now Europe. I know where I’m going! “John?” I ask him telepathically.
“Yes, dear.”
“I know where I’m going!”
“Good for you!”
“You don’t understand! I know where I’m going. I’m not lost anymore.”
“It’s your gift, I suppose.”
“Gift for what?”
“That’s what I wanted you to see.”
Right then another voice, or rather, a feeling, is deposited in my head. “You’re welcome,” it says, soft and gentle, like a breeze.
“Thank you,” I respond to Him. It had been a simple wish, nothing that I ever really expected to get or have, yet He gives it to me as a token, I suppose, of his love.
And I love it! What an awesome gift! Immediately my mind starts to race, thinking of all the places I could go. Hawaii? That way! South America? That way. Every place I can think of; I now know how to get there, all by myself. Awesome!
A few moments later I land on top of John’s Basilica in Turkey. He’s just standing there, looking out toward the Aegean Sea. “Must be nice having your own Basilica.” I say jovially, and he shoots me a wry look. “What did you want me to see?” I ask, looking all around the old ruins of the place.
“Not down here. There!” From our vantage point we have a good view of the ocean and the land. Fires and smoke dot the horizon indicating the burning of several cities. “It’s like this everywhere,” John voices. “The rebels have all communicated, they have rallied together across the world, and today—of all days—they’ve chosen to rise up.
“Sam and Pete?” I ask with alarm.
“They’re part of it. They’re fighting.”
I am anxious for them and feel the sudden urge to go check on them. I’m about to move out, but John stops me. “You’re needed elsewhere. They need to fight their battles, and you need to fight yours,” he warns sagely.
“But I can help them! I can go get a sword and…”
“You’ll fight, just not with them.”
“Why am I here then, John?”
“Look!” He says with a strangled cry. “This is what I saw.” The moment he says that, a great earthquake shakes the earth violently, forcing a cry out of the mortals who are fighting in the streets. I can see them from above as if looking down an ant pile. But these are people, not ants, and they scatter as they try to hold on to something firm, yet they can’t. Some are swallowed by the gashes formed in the ground, others are crushed by the buildings and other structures that fall on them. John’s Basilica shakes too, but does not crumble.
The moment the people below us die, their spirits rise. Some look disoriented for a second, then quickly fly to join the ranks of the dead. Some move up and toward the light, while others go straight toward a massive gathering darkness.
The ocean has joined in the destruction, and its waves heave themselves further and further inland, swallowing whole cities. Whole continents start moving toward each other at incredible speed, only to crash into each other, forming new mountains and producing new valleys. Lightning pelts the ground, starting fires and striking whole buildings that explode at once. Mortals disperse to and fro, but have nowhere to hide. My heart aches for them—this generation has known nothing but pain.
“What now?” I ask with a desperate groan.
“Look,” John says, pointing to a far distant spot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I look and see that same gathering darkness that I saw earlier, the place where all the dark spirits seemed to be assembling. “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication…” John mumbles softly, almost to himself.
“Revelations 17:4,” I whisper, and John nods.
“At the time I saw this in a vision,” he explai
ns. “I didn’t understand a lot of things. I hadn’t seen the world. There was no technology. I was limited by my short existence on this planet. But now I understand better what I saw.”
“What are you seeing?” I ask, craning my neck to see what he’s seeing. I certainly have no clue what he’s talking about.
“Look!” He says again, and points once more to the darkness. I focus more intently on the spot, and then start seeing the red and purple, as he mentioned. I fly forward a little, and focus more fixedly on the spot; then I see it! A colossal, snake-like creature is floating on the surface of the ocean. On further inspection, I realize that it’s not just a snake; it’s a human with a long snake-like torso, dressed in a red dress, with a purple cloak around its’ shoulders. It’s hideous of course. The red dress is inlaid with golden scales just like the skin of a reptile. The head of this serpent thing is that of a human—a woman—blond, with a crown, and an excessive amount of jewelry. Coco Chanel would disapprove roundly of how many accessories this serpentine woman is wearing—but then again—she would disapprove of so many things with this picture. It doesn’t take an eye for fashion to see that clearly.
In one of her ring-laden hands, she’s holding a huge cup that is filled with a red liquid that looks like blood. Suddenly, all of this starts to remind me of someone, who? And then it clicks! The cup, the red liquid, the dress, the jewelry, the unnatural buttery blond hair—Agatha—pretending to be beautiful and imposing at the same time.
Her arms are covered in tattoos, not pictures, but illegible words as in a weird foreign language—not of this world. The pleasant, alluring features that she worked so hard to muster while she was in Prison were now distorted and she no longer looks like a model, but rather like a snake-human hybrid. Her mass keeps growing bit by bit as the dark spirits that she released from Prison and the ones that have recently passed, whose souls she bought, heave themselves into her. They look like they are putting together a puzzle, and they only have a few more pieces left to finish it off. Agatha, the giant snake, has no legs as she floats on top of the water, just like a massive, red, oil tanker. Her arms are long and she is waving them around impatiently telling her followers to hurry up.
“What does this mean?” I ask John, aghast.
“It means that this is not yet over. Look!” He points up, toward the sky, and I follow my gaze up to where he’s pointing.
Right then, I start hearing the faint droning sound of clarions breaking through the angry clouds. The sound is both glorious and ominous; it swells and fills the air with the dissonant call to arms of a prodigious army. It’s the sound of the host of Heaven all rolling forward, out of the spiritual realm and entering the mortal realm at full speed. But from this vantage point nothing but gathering bulbous clouds can be seen. Only the war cry can be heard, I wonder if mortals hear it too? The clarions call to me, and I want to join the ranks. I want to be with them, I want to fight! But John holds me back still.
Hearing the Heavenly call to arms, the serpent looks up and hisses. Her split snake tongue licks the air, emitting a low, guttural sound. If I had flesh, I’d have goose bumps right now. The last few dark spirits hurry up and fling themselves into her, finishing her off. As soon as this happens, she lifts a scorpion-like tail, and slams it down on the surface of the water. Because the two matters don’t mesh up, she produces no waves. Not that it would matter, the ocean is in enough upheaval as it is—upset and protesting at what is happening on its surface.
Lightning strikes and thunder immediately follows, reverberating all through the planet. Right then, another huge creature appears from the south. It’s flying low, close to the surface of the water. It is smoky black, with pointy wings, and huge, sharp, talons. It’s the dragon—Legion.
I groan from within. “I hate that dragon,” I mutter. Memories of barely escaping its clutches come to mind—not just once, but twice—three times now.
“And it won’t be the last,” John says, reading my mind.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Shh…this is what I wanted you to see.” He points up to where the literal host of Heaven is gathering behind the puffy gray clouds. The empyreal war cry of the clarions still resounds sonorously in the distance. Storm clouds move in quickly and fill the whole sky. Behind this mist hides a prodigious army that soon covers the whole span of the Heavens. More and more, and more still come; there seems to be no end to us—our side. The sky is filled with the sound of many clarions, now unified in their call. The four quarters of the earth are filled, only one small area right above the serpent and the dragon remain uncovered by the clouds, forming a downward funnel.
Gradually, the clouds start to evaporate; exposing what I knew would be the most imposing sight ever! Millions upon millions of spirits, humans and animals, all standing side by side impatiently, as if barely being held back by some unseen hand.
“This, my dear, is what you did.”
“Me? What, what did I do?” I ask defensively and a little freaked out. What did I do now? It’s bad enough that I let Agatha loose and all her cronies, who are currently fulfilling one of John’s most bewildering prophesies. But now I’m responsible for something else?
“Nothing bad Tess. Good! All good! You see the Heavens?”
“Yes,” I say tentatively.
“You are responsible for uniting the host of Heaven.”
“No,” I shake my head. “I only linked with the recruiters that were with me, and gave them the memory that Drymus shared with me.”
“You overshot your reach, Tess,” he affirms with a single nod, then looks up, the corners of his mouth curving upwards into a smile. “You didn’t just link with the recruiters that were with you, you linked with all the Open spirits that were gathered at that particular place in Heaven, and gave them just the precise memory they all needed in order to understand the enormity of what’s at stake here. They in turn, linked with their Open kin scattered all over Heaven, who in turn linked with their relations, who in turn also, linked with their un-Open friends and family, who encompassed all of Heaven. Those who had not yet Opened, once linked, had a reason to resolve their issues and Open just in the nick of time to join this fight. I know you don’t understand the enormity of this,” he says, looking at my bewildered face. “I barely understand it myself. I just wanted you to witness this from my perspective, because I saw this in a vision several thousand years ago. I just didn’t know it would be you who made it all happen.”
I stare, stunned. “All of Heaven is Open?”
“All.” John nods.
“Alex?”
“Even Alex.”
Something that resembles exhilaration and joy washes over me, but then I waver. Does it mean he loves me again, or that he merely forgives me? John looks at me and shrugs, reading my thoughts, and only guessing at the answer.
“What about the animals?” I finally ask, coming back to the scene before me.
“Spirits who have the gift of communicating with them, just like your friend Katie and Jase, linked with them too. In their own way, they understand what’s at stake, and they too are ready to fight for their Mother Earth.”
“But how? How can spirits fight?”
“Most fights are spiritual in nature. Only a few are physical, and even those have their root in spiritual issues.” Having said that, John climbs down from the rooftop of his Basilica, all the way to the ground. “I have to go do my part, now, and you have to go do yours.”
I nod and smile, then rush to hug him, but go straight through him. “Soon,” I say. “Our matter will mesh again and I’ll give you a proper hug.”
“Soon,” he smiles back, his eyes reflecting the weight of this last heavy burden on his shoulders. He’s had a long, long life; and somehow I think the worst is yet to come for him. He climbs down and I lose sight of him as he enters the ruins of this place.
From the corner of my eye I see black smoke covering the land, a lot of it! It’s coming out of Legion’s mouth instead
of fire. It’s black and wispy and everything that the smoke reaches erupts into some sort of commotion that I can’t quite discern from here.
On further inspection, I see that the black smoke is somehow driving humans crazy, making some of them turn on each other, while reducing others to tears, wailing with utter despair. Through it all, Legion laughs, a low, deep, evil laugh that sends chills through my essence. I feel so discouraged, I too want to cry, but then I hear the clarions and take courage. It’s hard to see through the dark, mucky smoke that Legion is putting out, but I still hear them, so I know they’re there.
When a break in the black smoke clears I see a portion of the rallying spirits. As if on command, the animals dive down toward the ocean and the surface of the land, and join their mortal counterparts in the fight. Somehow the spiritual creatures relay a message to their mortal counterparts, and soon all the live creatures respond to their dead fellows at once by stampeding and moving in one accord, with the purpose of helping the innocent mortals win the battle against those who are under the dragon’s spell.
Stunned mortals take courage as they see dogs, bears, even birds, coming to their aid—pecking the eyes of their armed enemies, nipping at their heels, or simply passing by them and charging toward their oppressors with the obvious goal of rendering aid. Some mortals fall to their knees, and with tear stained faces, thank their Lord for this miraculous deliverance. Others, imbued with valor, lift whatever weapons they have on hand and plunge forward, helping the animals finish the job. A child riding on the back of a black panther passes me by at full speed, and behind him follow several spiritual forms of the same animal, who turn and acknowledge my presence with a slight nod of their feline face. I stare back wide-eyed, then watch as several more mortal animals carry more children to safety. The children look astounded and overjoyed as they get this rare opportunity to ride an assortment of large cats—cheetahs, lions, jaguars, and leopards. “The lamb and the lion,” I whisper with awe, then watch as a herd of rhinos ram into an army tank.