Least in Heaven: Chapter 3 – Absolution Through Action

Chapter 3 – Absolution Through Action

As I near the end of the tunnel, I hear Giovanni talk over the speakers, saying, “Alright. You got me. There’s nothing and no one else I can use to stop you. How about we talk this out?”

“We have been talking,” I say.

“We’ll talk face to face, and I’ll honestly hear you out. I see that I can’t beat you, and since you’re here for my repentance and not to kill me, it’s not like I’ll lose anything if you win. In fact, I have more to gain, correct?”

“Yes. Fine. We’ll talk.”

“Good. I’m on the top floor of the building ahead of you in my office. Now, don’t mind or kill the guards ahead of you. The barriers and doors will be opened for you.”

The exit of the tunnel leads into another research hall with multiple visible levels. There are multiple guards, researchers, and workers all around me who either try to ignore me, keep their distance, or keep a close eye on me with their weapons down. I go to the elevator, take it to the top floor, follow the signs, and enter Giovanni’s office. His office is decorated with many Catholic paintings, crosses, and statues, and has a few couches, a desk with a coffee and tea maker, chairs, a TV, and a desk in the center with a computer, which he is sitting at. He still has the same confident, smiling face that he had on before, so it’s obvious that he thinks he’s still in the right.

“Please take a seat, father,” he says.

“I’m fine with standing,” I say.

“Okay. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Are you truly willing to repent?”

“If you convince me.”

“Hasn’t my victory against your defenses convinced you enough?”

“I’ll admit that you’re the only one to get this far. Most assassins are killed by the first round of defenses; few manage to survive the traps in the tunnels, and no one has survived against the three brothers, whom you faced. On the other hand, it’s the fact that you killed them and many other Catholics, who are more devout and faithful than I am, that goes against your claim that you’re on a mission from God. You have an uphill battle to fight, so present your case.”

I consider my words for a second before speaking. I’ve already told him his sins, and if hearing won’t convince him, then there’s something else that makes him think he’s in the right. I look over to my guardian angel, he whispers advice in my ear, and with no better idea, I do as he says.

“What do you have against those who think and believe differently from you?” I ask.

“They’re a threat to the society they live in and their souls. Helping or getting rid of them helps themselves, so they don’t harm others, and themselves. I am my brother’s keeper, after all.”

“You are, but you are not his master. I’m sure you’re glad that the Catholic hero association, the Dominion, has control over the world, so that you can further control events and people happening all over the world, but the responsibility is not yours. It is those of your coworkers, who are better men than you are.”

“I helped build up their hero association until it got larger than my own. Why wouldn’t I have a say in what it can and can’t do?”

“It’s not yours. You were merely an investor, a stepping stone for those more deserving of great power.”

“You’re not doing much good at all in convincing me to repent. What does this have to do with anything?”

“This has to do with why you refuse to repent. You’re so concerned with creating a better, more Catholic world that you don’t see the sin that stains your hands and soul. You talk to others who see you as a living saint and repeat back to you your justifications for your actions, so that you feel that you’re correct and have your ideology checked by others when you’re simply living in an echo chamber.”

“I’ve talked to other people with differing views from mine and admit to being wrong.”

“You only admit to being wrong when you’re comfortable with it, just like most people. In reality, you remain steadfast in your thinking and disregard legitimate criticism coming from trusted sources.”

“Sources such as yourself, an assassin who lived only for himself with no allegiances to anyone?”

“My words are true, despite my background. If I repeated your ideology back to you, would it suddenly be false and scrutinized? No. You’d think I was wise and had seen the light of truth. Admit it. Get out of the realm of your comfortable excuses to face the uncomfortable truth. You’re in the wrong here.”

“You-”

“Think and pray on before responding to me.”

I give Giovanni some time to answer. After about a minute, he says, “I see where you’re coming from, and where you get your opinion of me. Still, I am unmoved in my belief that I am justified. Maybe if you give me more time and show me where I’ve faltered, then I’ll truly change my mind. Thank you for the hard and expensive lesson, father.”

I look up to my guardian angel, who shakes his head. He says, “He’s not truly repentant, even though he feels like it.”

So, what do I have to do next?

“What Fr. Francesco did with his dying breath, and like him, it’ll cost you your life.”

Really? That?

“You didn’t think you were walking out of this, alive, were you?”

Guess I shouldn’t have expected it. Alright….alright, I’ll do it. I use my speed to run over to Giovanni and feel a great heat well up in my chest, and then immediately burst flames from my mouth like a volcano. Just like me from before, his face catches on fire, and he screams out in pain. Meanwhile, I feel the life fade from my body as I fall face-first on the floor and lose consciousness. When I open my eyes next, I see that I’m hovering above the room, watching Giovanni writhe in pain as his guards try to help him in vain, while my lifeless body is taken away. The contract is fulfilled. Now what?

“Now, you join me in Heaven,” a familiar voice says.

Turning around, I see Fr. Francesco in a white and gold priest’s outfit and an all-consuming light that’s pulling my soul toward.

“Fr. Francesco!” I say as I float toward him and we embrace. “I did it, my friend.”

“Ha! Besides you going to Heaven, the second greatest thing is hearing you call me your friend. I knew you’d do it.”

“Do what? Sacrifice myself or save Giovanni because I managed to only do one of those things.”

“You did both,” my guardian angel says as he floats toward the light with me. “Giovanni is in the process of repenting. You’ve done well, Fr. Luther.”

“I did what I was asked. Nothing more. All of my life, I’ve done what I wanted, and only at the end did I do what I was supposed to. I guess I’ll be spending my days at the very edges of Heaven.”

“But you’ll be with God, nevertheless,” Fr. Francesco says.

“What about you, Fr. Francesco? I’d be surprised if you’re not sitting directly next to God near Jesus.”

“You’re not far off from the truth.”

As the all-consuming light takes me into Heaven, I feel peace and happiness for what feels like the first time, me, a cold, heartless assassin who not a few days ago deserved Hell more than anything.

 

The End

Least in Heaven: Chapter 2 – Unfeeling Saint

Chapter 2 – Unfeeling Saint

These dark tunnels that I’m traveling down are confusing, barely lit, and filled with traps, such as mines, motion-activated turrets, and hidden guards. Thankfully, my enhanced senses allow me to react to them, my glasses have a hidden function that allows me to see in the dark, and my guardian angel has my back in getting rid of some of the traps and pointing me in the right direction of this maze. I twist my body to avoid a series of lasers in a split second that activate near me, fire a series of pistol bullets to blow up the next series of turrets, while deflecting their shots with my sword, and cutting apart the robots and guards that jump out from my blind spots. At one point, I think my guardian angel is guiding me into a wall, that is, until he cuts the fake wall in two, revealing it was a gate.

Ahead, I see a checkpoint station with dozens of armed guards and superhumans. Slowing down, I combine my sword with my pistol, so that I activate the hidden rifle function within the sword. A scope and muzzle come out of the sword. I look through the scope and aim at the guards. Waiting for the right opportunity, I take my first shot when three of the guards are lined up so I can kill them with one shot. They know they’re under attack, so they turn on the lights, see me, and start attacking. Despite this, I remain calm and continue firing, taking out one after the other with headshot after headshot, sometimes taking out two or three with one shot.

Most of the guards are dead, and the remaining are taking cover. I switch my scope to allow me to see nearby electrical and heat signatures through objects, and switch the mode of my sword rifle so it charges up each shot to allow me to shoot through said objects. After a few of them fall, they get out of cover and must be realizing that I’m not making lucky shots. They try charging me or running away and end up dying all the same. With everyone and everything at the checkpoint dead, I continue on my way.

Over the speakers in the tunnel, I hear Giovanni say, “You’re something else, Fr. Luther. It’s no wonder why my corporation hired you so many times. We can still make a deal, you know. You may have killed many of my men and done a lot of damage to my property, but I can set aside my grievances for our mutual benefit. I am a good Catholic man, after all.”

My guardian angel shakes his head, and I say, “Nothing has changed. I’m still coming after you.”

“That’s a shame. Guess I’ll have to send my best after you. Just remember that my offer will still stand if you manage to live.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s made a two-way speaker and is giving me offers,” I say to my guardian angel.

“He’s a businessman through and through, and knows you’re a threat to him.”

“Is he any closer to repenting?”

“Hardly, but you’ve made a little progress.”

“And if he doesn’t repent? Will I still obtain my salvation?”

“If you don’t give up hope, you’ll ensure the salvation of both your souls.”

“Right.”

Continuing on my way, I begin to encounter fewer obstacles in my way, which isn’t a good sign. It could only mean there’s something worse ahead, so I slow down, keeping an eye out for the next trap. Nothing happens for a little while, which is concerning and only makes me take more precautions as I move forward. The slight crack in the walls gets my attention, and before I can turn my attention to it, my guardian angel tackles me out of the way before a mass of gray mud can consume me. Moonlight and fresh air come from the hole where the mud came from, along with a man in full dark blue knightly SWAT gear and another man with yellow and red eyes, black and white hair, and an expensive-looking suit and outfit with the pins of a police officer on them. The gray mud forms a man with black hair and blue eyes, who turns one arm into multiple swords and the other into a hammer.

These must be some kind of elite guards for Giovanni, given that they’re attacking me by themselves and may even be brothers, since the mud man’s face is similar to that of the man in the expensive suit. Now I have to fight with a little more effort than I did before. Firstly, I separate my pistol from my sword so I can use the two independently and wait for them to make the first move.

“It’ll be better for you to take Giovanni’s offer, father,” the officer in the SWAT gear says.

“He’s actually a good man,” the man in the expensive suit adds.

“He gave me a second chance at life to make me into a better man,” the mud man comments.

“I don’t care who you think he is. The only thing that matters is who he actually is, and that he must repent,” I say before quickly firing a shot, splitting the mud man in two.

The officer takes out his submachine gun and starts firing it at me, which my guardian angel protects me from as I fire at the man in the suit who is also firing at me, running, and trying to dodge my bullets in this place that has no cover. Our bullets collide, but I manage to deflect some of his back at him, injuring him. When the officer runs out of ammo, my guardian angel goes after the mud man, piercing him and making him explode into pieces that slowly start to reform themselves. Focusing on the officer who charges at me, he reloads his submachine gun and dual-wields it with a heavy revolver. He fires them both at me, and the force of the revolver shots knocks off my guard, allowing a few of the submachine bullets to hit me.

Nevertheless, I keep dodging as best I can and trying to knock his revolver shots back at him. The second attempt doesn’t go as well, but I manage to hit back the third shot from his revolver, and it felt as if I was using a baseball bat to hit a bowling ball. The shot that I knocked back at the officer goes through his chest, instantly killing him and dropping him.

“Renzo!” the man in the suit says.

Fully healed, the man in the suit draws a pair of rapid-firing pistols with drum magazines and recklessly opens fire on me. I spin my blade to deflect them all until he runs out of ammo. That’s when I fire three shots at the man, one hitting his chest and two in the head, killing him before he can reload or dodge out of the way.

“Salvatore! Renzo!” the mud man says as he starts to cry. “I’m sorry for being the useless brother I always was…”

My guardian angel finishes the mud man and stops me from walking off.

With his hand on my shoulder, he says, “Take a moment to pray for these brothers.”

“Why?” I ask.

“They are good, Catholic men who are leaving loving and faithful families behind to join the Lord in Heaven.”

“I’m sure many others were much the same as them, and you didn’t say to pray for them. They’re also going straight to Heaven as you said, so there’s no need to pray.”

“These are better men than you’ll ever be. Please, pray for them, or at least their families.”

I sigh, take a few moments to pray for their families, and move on.

“There’s a good reason why you’re the man God chose to force Giovanni Coronamento to repent. Only a cold-hearted assassin such as yourself could kill good men, and not let it bother you.”

“It’s a blessing and a curse, right? I know that’s what you want me to think, and yet, I can’t. I still don’t feel sorry for any of the killings I’ve done, and I’m only doing this because I feel moved to by Fr. Francesco, and it seems like the right thing to do. Will my soul truly be saved, even though I don’t feel sorry in the slightest?”

“True repentance doesn’t require feeling. You only need to mean you’re truly sorry with all your heart and soul, and prove it to God.”

“I see. Well, I hope this all proves it if, for no other reason than to give God and Fr. Francesco what they want.”

Least in Heaven: Chapter 1 – A Judas Priest

Cover by @An_dres_art

Chapter 1 – A Judas Priest

My life was never something I enjoyed. It was never something I could say I was proud of, and yet I never tried to change it. As a mercenary masquerading as a priest, I only took up the priesthood for the cover it provided. During an age of resurging traditionalism, no one batted an eye at another man who wanted to be a priest, especially when I appeared to have all the signs of someone who truly wanted to serve God. People would come to me at my secluded monastery, give me my job, and I’d complete it. Then I’d resupply and rest back at the monastery. In my line of work, I killed all kinds of men: normal, superhuman, those with power, those with little to none, those who were religious, those who pretended not to be, those who were traditionalist, and those who were liberal, not caring who I killed, only caring that I got paid.

The only man who did care about what I did was Fr. Francesco. Everyone else in the monastery either kept to themselves, was too afraid to scold me, or was in the same business as me; however, Fr. Francesco was the most honest priest I knew. He constantly hounded me about my sins in such detail that it seemed like he was there. Fr. Francesco said he heard it from his guardian angel, who was told about it by my guardian angel. I didn’t care much for his judgments. What I cared about was arguing over the moral justifications as if they actually mattered, only to shrug them off in the end.

He got slicker about trying to convert me during the days I tried to relax. He’d read me Scripture verses, fictional stories, his life stories, and stories about the saints that would in some way relate to my sins or lead up to a lesson about repentance and the cost of murder. Despite him constantly being after me, some part of me enjoyed his company and efforts. Maybe it’s because he’s the only person who made an effort to care about me and never gave up. One day, a group of people who wanted revenge against me came to shoot up the monastery.

When it happened, Fr. Francesco saw them first and shielded me from their bullets. After taking care of them, everyone in the monastery was dead except for me, and Fr. Francesco, who was somehow clinging to life. I tried my best to heal him, but he stopped me because he knew that this was his end.

With his final breath, Fr. Francesco said, “Repent. Repent, Fr. Luther. There’s goodness in you that can yet be saved.”

As he breathed his last, he spewed fire on my face. I writhed and screamed in pain as the fires felt as if they burned me down to the soul.

“Do not let this opportunity go to waste, Luther. What’s there left to live for? Your next paycheck? The next murder? Why not give yourself to the role you pretend to be in for something greater?” I heard a voice say.

I decided to do as Fr. Francesco said, and soon after, the fires subsided. Looking around, I saw a winged dark figure with a white bird helmet, a white halo, and three white pincers for fingers appear over me.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Your guardian angel, the one who was feeding information to Fr. Francesco’s guardian angel, to him so he could help you repent,” he said.

“Ah. So, you’re the snitch?”

“There’s no time to joke. Your life will soon come to an end, and you will either spend it making up for what you’ve done or being alone here until you grow too old enough to take care of yourself.”

Feeling a debt to Fr. Francesco and not really caring about living a long life, I accept the request to make up for what I’ve done, and ask, “What do I need to do?”

“Something you’re familiar with. Giovanni Coronamento continues his sinful works in the shadow of the Dominion’s new world order. Bring him to repentance and kill everyone else who stands in your way.”

“That’s it?”

“That is all.”

“Why something so simple?”

“An assassin is who God made you to be, and an assassin is all you are.”

“I can’t argue with that. Alright. I’ll take on that contract for the salvation of my soul.”

It’s been a few days since I chose to change. I’ve been on Giovanni Coronamento’s trail so I could pick the right opportunity to get to him, and it hasn’t been easy. He’s a celebrity to the public, and always has guards and others surrounding him as if he’s expecting someone to take his life, even in this new world he’s helped to create, where he’s part of the leadership ruling the world. He’s never too hard to pick out from the crowd, given his slicked back black hair, confident green eyes, and he usually wears purple and gold dress outfits. In between my recon, my guardian angel pushes me to pray, so I do so for advice and to regain some patience.

“It’s good that you’re taking my advice and growing closer to God,” my guardian angel says.

“I don’t feel many of the benefits,” I admit.

“You don’t need to feel them to get anything out of it. I know a man like you hardly feels anything at all, and is only satisfied by cold, hard results.”

“You must hate the fact that you’ve had to watch over me my entire life. How many times have you asked God to give the responsibility to another angel?”

“None, and I’ve never wanted to leave you, not for a second.”

“Is that so?”

“You were entrusted to me before you were born, and I’ve tried to help you ever since, starting when you were born to those cold-hearted, white-collared criminals and bankers who were your family, to the days when you were an assassin with allegiance to no one. I’m sorry that you’ve never felt the true warmth of love in your life, but you will after this is over.”

“I…I appreciate it.”

“Oh? Does the heart of stone feel?”

“It has ever since it was shown true kindness by Fr. Francesco. Part of me regrets that I never showed it to him back.”

“He never wanted it back. He only wanted to share the love that God gave him and the salvation of your soul.”

“Then I guess this’ll not only be my gift to God, but also my gift to him to show that his efforts weren’t in vain.”

Picking myself up from my prayers, I continue to follow Giovanni to see that he’s now in one of the hero association offices that his corporation owns.

My guardian angel says, “This waiting for an opportunity to go after your targets is irritating me just as much as you. Haven’t you assaulted buildings like this before?”

“I have, but I had help back then. I thought you would’ve known that,” I say.

“I did, and that’s the point I’m getting at.”

“Are you going to help me get in there to get to Giovanni?”

“Yes. I can sneakily pick people off for you and empower your sword and gun. Turn around, and let’s give it a try.”

I do as my guardian angel says, and watch as he goes out from behind my back to cut apart walls and piles of trash left in the building we’re in. Since it’s under construction and nighttime, no one is here to bother us, and there are plenty of things to use as target practice. The speed at which he slices and stabs happens within the blink of an eye. As for empowering my sword and pistol, both of them are made with killing superhumans, armed men, and robots in mind, but with my guardian angel’s help, they can cut through concrete like butter and blast apart metal and piles of bricks as if they were paper. These’ll be perfect.

“Are you ready?” my guardian angel asks.

“Yes. I am. Let’s get this over with,” I say.

Walking from the construction site to the Coronamento hero association office, I enter the front entrance waiting room and am immediately shot in the side of the head. Despite the shot, I don’t move a single muscle as if nothing had hit me. Looking over to who shot me, I see that’s none other than Giovanni himself.

He backs off to his gathering of superhuman, robotic, and cybernetic security forces and says, “Guess you’re not a normal assassin, Fr. Luther.”

“I guess you should’ve had people watching out for assassins like me,” I say.

“Or the worst people like the media who want to invade my privacy and falsely accuse me of crimes.”

“Heh, I can’t argue with that first part.”

“Who hired you? Maybe we can come to a deal, and you can work with me instead. We’re men of the same faith, aren’t we?”

“I come on a mission from God to bring you to repentance for your sins.”

“Huh. It’s no wonder, given your appearance and profession, then, but you’re mistaken. I have no sins on my soul, and I’ve paid for all my crimes with my time in prison.”

“You’ve done nothing more than pretend to be virtuous and repentant. How about you do us both a favor? I’ll leave if you truly promise to repent of your ways and be the man your employees and the public think you are.”

Giovanni looks around him and says, “I promise to go to confession the next time I sin, as I always do, but right now, there’s not even a venial sin on my soul.”

Looking over to my guardian angel, he says, “He makes dishonest confessions. This was never going to be easy for you. God wouldn’t have sent you to convert Giovanni if it were.”

I wait for a second and see that no one else hears or sees my guardian angel.

“Okay. The hard way it is then.”

As I draw my sword and pistol, my guardian angel slices through the group of superhumans and armored heroes that try to dodge pile me. In one swipe, they’re all cut in half and fall lifelessly to the floor. Giovanni retreats as he fires his pistol at me, and his robotic guards come at me. I shoot down many of the robots with my enhanced senses before they reach me, charge at those remaining, and cut my way through them. Going after Giovanni, I chase after him and see one of his superhuman guards carry him away. If I were a beginner, I’d think he was being brought to the uppermost floors, but knowing the Coronamento Corporation, he’s probably being taken down to the more secure lower floors.

“Do you have a plan to get down there?” my guardian angel asks.

You can read my thoughts?

“God allows me to. Hurry, let me know what your plan is. The authorities and backup from Giovanni’s friends are on the way.”

Usually, you’d need some legitimate way to access the lower floors since the doors leading to them are reinforced to account for a superhuman attack.

“I see where you’re going with this, and God willing, I’ll be able to open them for you.”

Thank you. Since the building is on high alert, and the elevators are locked down, I take the stairs. I then cut through the locked doors and reach the last floor I can go down, where a group of armed guards is hanging around a set of heavy double doors that look big enough to drive a truck through. They immediately open fire on me, so I dodge between their shots and manage to deflect some of their shots back at them with my sword, along with firing shots of my own. With the way clear, I nod to my guardian angel to try to break down the heavy doors. He holds back both his arms and then lunges them forward, blowing open the door and sending them flying into the underground facility.

“Praise be to God,” I say as I cross myself.

Entering the underground facility, I see the two heavy doors set into a wall across from me, and four floors beneath me, filled with cells holding superhumans being released. At the very bottom, I see Giovanni, who appears surprised to see me, yet the look of confidence and his smile don’t fade from his face. Not wanting to box myself in on this narrow walkway, I throw myself down to the lowest floor and land on one of the security guards, killing them. Breathing in and out, I push my senses to their limits as more of Giovanni’s security descends upon me all at once. Usually, everything feels a bit slower, but with the further enhancements from my guardian angel, time feels as though it’s been brought to a crawl.

Taking advantage of this boost in power, I slice and shoot my way through everyone around me, sliding under their attacks, leaping off each one like platforms to get to others above them, before coming down and finishing off the remainder of them in a whirlwind of bullets and spinning my sword around. By the time I hit the ground, time resumes to its normal pace, and all of Giovanni’s guards are dead. No one else is left alive except for the scientists and staff of the facility, who cower in their rooms. I head over to where I saw Giovanni go and find him in a secure room with glass panels, working on a machine, before turning to me with the same expression he always seems to have. I try breaking through the glass, but my sword and pistol don't make the slightest scratch on the glass.

“You’ve gotten further than most other assassins, Fr. Luther. For that, you have my respect,” Giovanni says as he claps.

“I don’t need your respect. I need your repentance,” I say.

“For what exactly? Assuming you’re closer to God than I am and an actual priest, tell me, what are my sins?”

Looking over to my guardian angel, he tells me Giovanni’s sins as told by his guardian angel, and I relay them to him, saying, “You are guilty of hiring scientists to experiment on unwilling prisoners you were meant to execute for their crimes or show mercy to. Additionally, you hire hitmen to get rid of subversives in society that you deem too dangerous to live, bribe officials to overlook your crimes, and give people favors for instituting unjust laws against people of other beliefs.”

“You criticizing me for hiring hitmen is funny, given your true profession. I know that you’re no real priest. I’ve looked into your background and found that my corporation has hired you to do much of its dirty work, which, I might add, was justified. God and His Church finally have majority control of the world under my ally, the Dominion of Mercy and Justice, and those who seek to undermine it jeopardize it and the salvation of souls.”

“There are other ways to keep it safe, and torturing, killing, and discriminating against others of false beliefs isn’t the way to do it. I may be an assassin first, and priest second, but God has changed that.”

“Really? What changed in that hit that got everyone in your monastery killed except for you? Was that your coming-to-God moment?”

“Yes. A fellow priest who had been constantly bothering me to repent finally got through to me. Now, aided by my guardian angel and tasked by God, I am to bring you to repentance to save my soul.”

“I can’t say the rewards of your contract can be matched, but as I’ve said before, I don’t have a sin on my soul. Keep chasing me if you wish, Fr. Murphy. We’ll see who truly has God on their side.”

In a second, Giovanni’s room rockets away down a tunnel and disappears from my sight.

“How come you didn’t allow me to break through the glass barrier and let Giovanni get away?” I ask my guardian angel.

My guardian angel breaks through the barrier, then says, “That show of strength and skill you had for Giovanni was a watershed moment for him. It should’ve gotten him to repent, but he refused.”

“He should’ve taken it when he had the chance. Now, I have to make more of a mess of his corporation.”

“You had many of the same chances, and didn’t any of them, except for the last one.”

I let my guardian angel’s words sink in as I continue my chase of Giovanni by using my enhanced speed to run down the dark tunnel after him.

My 350th book is done and out today!

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"Let his blood be upon us and our children". These were the words Caiaphas said when he arranged for Jesus Christ to be crucified. "My Lord and God" became his next after His resurrection, and ever since, Caiaphas has been trying to save souls for over a thousand years to the present day and won't stop until the Lord says so.

The Question, The Answer, The Lies, The Truth: Chapter 4 – The Truth

Chapter 4 – The Truth

Wandering the wilderness is always a welcome change of pace. Besides adoration, Catholic churches, and being in pain, the wilderness is the fourth place where I feel closest to God. I enjoy it from a tree branch as I wait for my next target, Hannah, to come this way on the nature trail. Her two adorable children run past me, then run back to see me, smile, and laugh.

“How did you get up there, mister?” they ask.

“I climbed,” I say.

“Why didn’t you sit on one of the benches instead if you wanted to sit down?”

“It’s more fun to climb a tree and sit on one of its sturdy branches, don’t you think?”

The children agree just as Hannah and her husband catch up to them. It’s then that my powers ensnare Hannah and bring her to a dimension. Half of it is living with greenery, the sun shining down on it, and flowing rivers with clear water. The other half is bleeding and decaying with rivers of crimson blood wildly running through, barely being able to be contained within the stream.

“What is this? Where am I?” Hannah asks.

I go through the whole song and dance of explaining who I am, why Hannah is here, and what she can do to get out.

“Okay, I will! I was going to go to confession this Saturday for it like I usually do with my family before mass,” Hannah says with honesty.

“That’s what I’m expecting, but there’s more to it,” I say.

“What is it?”

“The example that you show to your children and those you’ll come across. As you can see, you sit at the crossroads between paradise and ruin, and one step into either can save or damn you.”

“Is a big event going to happen in my life? Am I going to be some world-famous person or hero, or will my children be any of those things?”

“From what I’ve been told by our Lord, no. None of those things will happen.”

“Why am I being put through this then, and why are you acting as if the world is on the line if I make the wrong decisions?”

“Because something more important than the world is at risk, and that is, your soul and the souls of those you influence. Remember, our Lord came to save souls, not change the hands of worldly power, obtain riches, or enjoy Himself. Instead, He suffered, died, and rose again to save our souls and reinstitute His Church, His Israel, to continue His work and carry on His legacy.”

“I know this. I’ve been taught it since I was little and continue to carry it with due respect. Why does someone of such little importance need to see and hear this?”

“Did you not hear what I said? Our Lord came to save our souls. Do you think that you’re not one of them?”

“No.”

“No matter how important or unimportant you think you are. Your role in His plan to save souls cannot be understated. The salvation of souls is the most important, no, it is the only important task in every person’s life. The Lord and I need you to remember that with every passing second of your life. Do you understand?”

“I…I do.”

The scene shifts in the blink of an eye back to the nature trail we were on. Looking over to Hannah’s husband, I put him through the same thing as her, and then ask him, “Do you understand?”

“I do,” he says.

Their children ask us what their parents understand and why I asked them that question, so I explain to them, “That the Lord loves each one of us and wants us all to be saved and be with Him forever, both in Heaven and on Earth.”

The children say that they know this because their parents taught them, they talk about it in Church, and in school.

“Well, do you really believe it?”

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t,” the children say.

“That’s good. Your parents and teachers are good people. Remember to show them their due respect.”

“We will!”

With that done, the souls of more people are kept on the straight and narrow, so I teleport by disappearing into the sunlight that shines on me through the trees to my next location, hopeful that the next people I see will accept the chance at salvation.

The End

The Question, The Answer, The Lies, The Truth: Chapter 3 – The Lies

Chapter 3 – The Lies

Today’s another meeting day, one that I hope goes well, but I have my doubts. The three people I’m waiting for soon appear as I finish my first cup of tea. One flies in with the wings on his back. His name is Archelaos, and his crimson mask has many eyes on it, and he wears a one-piece suit that covers his body, which has eyes bulging out of it. Lavinia transforms from a bird into a woman. Her white mask has makeup on it and stitches. She wears a silky red dress, has long blonde hair, and wears black high heels. Finally, there’s Ragnar, a muscular man in army fatigues, and a mask with three mouths on it and no eyes.

Yelling over to Ragnar, I ask, “Have you ever ridden on a horse or sat in a cart or a car?”

“Not since the times of Noah, and I never tried another car after the first one was invented, and I never liked either. Running and walking everywhere has been my preferred mode of travel,” Ragnar says as he walks over to me.

“If you weren’t superhuman, I’d think you were mad, or rather, I’d think you’re crazier than you are now.”

Lavinia walks over to my table, takes a seat, and says, “Is this meeting about business or pleasure?”

“You know the answer to that. It’s never about pleasure with Caiaphas,” Ragnar says.

“That’s why all he does with his time is hurt other people. You can’t let them enjoy their lives, can you?”

“I only hurt the guilty and those who haven’t set their hearts on fire for love of the Lord. It’s an everlasting joy better than the fading pleasures you’ve been experiencing,” I say.

“So speaks the priest who had multiple affairs.”

“That’s how I know the true vanity of lust since I’ve experienced it firsthand.”

“Can we please get on with this meeting? There’s much more to be done in the world,” Archelaos says as he sits down, and his eyes dart around everywhere.

“There are always things to be done. Some things will be done without your help, while others will never be truly completed by our hands,” I say.

“That’s what you think! There must be more events that need to be set in motion so that the perfect future can be achieved.”

“Please, don’t get him started, Caiaphas. Let’s get this done. I have people waiting for me,” Ragnar says.

“People who are waiting to be tortured or people you have on your hit list?” Lavinia asks.

“Both. As Archelaos says, certain events need to be set in motion.”

“We don’t need any more of the conflicts you want to start, Ragnar. The Dominion will see to it that the world is kept in a state of relative peace for the foreseeable future,” I say.

“Conflict is how humanity grows and what it uses to change the world. Even the Dominion knows that.”

“You should know better than all of us that humanity hasn’t changed that much since the days of Noah.”

“Did you just bring us all here because you wanted to start up our rivalries again? If it’s a fight you wanted, you could’ve simply said so.”

“I wanted more than a fight. I wanted to bring to your attention the Dominion’s control of the world and the Lord’s Holy, Catholic Church’s domination of it.”

“He wanted to rub his side’s victory in our face now that he has more than a couple of victories under his belt,” Lavinia says. “It’ll be over before you know it, and my vision of what the world should be may come to fruition.”

“The closest you came to world domination was burned up in the same fire that gave you your powers and glassed Sodom and Gomorrah, and you and you perverts haven’t come close since, even though you continue to be as pervasive and stubborn as cockroaches. Anyways, I was hoping that ‘rubbing’ the Lord’s victory in your face would get you to repent,” I say.

“It hasn’t. Not in the slightest,” all three say.

“One day the world will be a paradise of unending happiness and pleasure,” Lavinia says.

“It will be engulfed in endless conflicts so that humanity can continue to grow and learn,” Ragnar argues.

“It will follow my designs,” Archelaos objects. “It needs my guiding hand.”

“You people never change, do you? Very well then. Let’s commence with the pleasantries. Waiter? Can you please get three of our usual teas for us?” I say.

“Yes, Mr. Caiaphas. I already had it started, so they should be ready in a few seconds.”

“That’ll be plenty of time.”

All four of us activate our powers and pit ourselves against one another. Razor wire comes out of my face, hands, wrists, neck, and back that I use to slash at Lavinia, who puts me in a dimension full of lewd imagery, moaning, and tempting perfumy smells. I cut my way through it all, and as my razor wires spread through her dimension to cut it all apart in a less-than-pleasurably painful way.

“Lust is the second sin that all of mankind is guilty of,” Lavinia says. “It will submit to their passions so that they’ll forever be happy and in a state of perpetual ecstasy.”

My razor wires start to turn into solid ice, freezing everything they touch.

“Those pleasures of yours come and go, and then leave their victims wanting more, longer-lasting, and perverted thrills. The world will grow bored if it were dominated by your kind, and mankind would start killing each other just to get any kind of excitement,” I say.

The entirety of Lavinia’s dimension of pleasure is frozen and now silent. My razor wires wrap themselves around her, freeze her, and shatter her into pieces. The dimension is then shattered and melted by Ragnar, who runs through it. We’re now on an island with an erupting volcano and rivers of lava around us. Ragnar throws dozens of punches at me as my razor wires do their best to block his attacks and wrap themselves around him.

“You can’t prevent the endless wars and conflicts that humanity craves, Caiaphas. We may be of the same lineage, but you still have much to learn,” Ragnar says as he relentlessly pursues me.

“I could say the same to you, elder. What you haven’t learned in the hundreds of thousands of years of living is that you can be fundamentally wrong about what you believe, no matter how much wisdom you’ve gained in your years. A long life doesn’t automatically make you wise or smart, nor does it mean that you’re better than the young. At the end of the day, you still worship God in an old and expired way. You’ve yet to realize that the savior has come and His name is Jesus Christ,” I say.

Ragnar can no longer keep up with my razor wires as they grab him and drag him into the river of lava. The dimension shatters around me once more as eyes emerge from the ground and sky around me until there’s nothing around me but eyes and darkness. I can’t keep my feet on the ground as gravity is nonexistent here, and I’m uncontrollably pulled towards Archelaos, who is also aimlessly floating around.

“Admit it. You want to control the events and goings on in the world. You want it to always be in submission to your Lord so that souls may be saved. What makes us so different?” Archelaos asks.

“I do as my Lord commands, and nothing more. I gave up trying to control the opinions and actions of others after the Lord humbled me. The world will turn in the ways that He allows, no matter what other people or I do,” I say.

“I’ve influenced many leaders and people who have changed the world. I have made the difference I’ve wanted to make.”

“But there’s still more to do, as you’ve said. Some of those people made mistakes and didn’t do exactly as you said, or other people came along and ruined your plans. You can’t be everywhere influencing everyone perfectly. You’re playing checkers, while the Lord is playing chess, and He knows all your moves before you make them.”

“I still have time to do what I need to before your Lord can fulfill his plans.”

“Do you? What happened to the Babylonians that you commanded? The Spartans? Athens? What of the Huns? The Viking clans you influenced? The Islamic Empire? The Soviet Union? All have fallen and been relegated to footnotes in the history books, while the Lord’s Holy Catholic Church still stands strong to this day.”

My razor wires burst through the many eyes around us and wrap themselves around Archelaos and tear him into pieces. In the blink of an eye, I’m back in the tea shop. The bodies of Lavinia, Archelaos, and Ragnar reform themselves as our waiter gives us our tea.

The waiter says, “Here I thought I’d be able to serve the tea before you four would finish killing each other. I guess I have to be faster next time.”

“Maybe you or your descendants will, but I doubt it,” I say as I sip my tea.

“You’ve been getting stronger, Caiaphas,” Ragnar says. “I remember the years when you would be the first one dead.”

“I remember when I had him wrapped around my finger, and we had a thing going,” Lavinia says with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“I remember when we talked for days on end about how we would change the world and acted on those plans,” Archelaos adds.

“The secret to my success is-”

“Your Lord. We know,” the three of them say as they start drinking their tea.

“When will you all learn that a God of suffering, love, and truth is the only true God of all since He so closely mirrors the realities of life?”

Lavinia, Ragnar, and Archelaos finish their tea and leave the shop. I ask the waiter for another tea and a piece of strawberry shortcake.

When they’re brought to me, the waiter asks, “Will those three ever change?”

“They’re still alive hundreds of thousands of years after they should’ve died, with powers and abilities granted by the Lord. What I’m saying is that there’s a chance, so as long as they’re alive, they have the opportunity to change and save their souls,” I explain.

“Don’t you ever get tired of this song and dance that you have with them every so often?”

“Not really. I’ve converted people who were just as old as them, and as long as the Lord pushes me to convert them, I’ll keep pushing to do so and convert others like them, no matter how long it takes.”

The Question, The Answer, The Lies, The Truth: Chapter 2 – The Answer

Chapter 2 – The Answer

I enjoy a cup of tea at a coffee, tea, and dessert shop on a bright afternoon as I wait for the next person I’m supposed to help. He soon appears from the shadows and stands behind me.

I extend my hand to one of the chairs at the table I’m sitting at and say, “Please, take a seat, Timeo Severe.”

The legendary hero of divine shadows obliges my request and does as I say. He stares at me as he reads my soul and takes in much of my history. His hair and eyes are pitch-black, his skin is a pale white, and his expensive suit, tie, shirt, and shoes are alternating shades of white and gold.

“We can speak like normal people if you want to learn more, or you can continue to look into my soul and learn more if you wish, but if you do, we’ll be here for the rest of the day,” I say.

“I know that there’s only so much I need to know. For someone thousands of years old, you dress quite modern, Caiaphas,” Timeo says.

“What can I say? I like simple grey suits, dress pants, white gloves, and dress shoes with a red tie. Fashion peaked in the nineties, in my opinion, and has been going down ever since. You dress much the same way, don’t you? There have been more times that you’ve worn suits than you have anything casual.”

“Heh, you’re right. I do like my suits. What’s the mask for?”

I remove my mask to show the void under it.

“That’s why. Even though superhumans are accepted as normal in this day and age, I still tend to freak people out if I don’t wear the mask.”

“You don’t think that your mask with four eyes and a mouth in the center is freaky?”

“It’s a penitential mask made by a friend of mine in the Renaissance period. Before then, I wore hoods and other masks, but none of them were as good as this one, so I continue to wear it to this day. Would you like a coffee or tea? I may have no face, but I can taste in the void of my face, and everything in here is great.”

“No, thank you. I’m more of a wine and milkshake person. What made you leave a note on my desk to have us meet up like this? What do I owe the honor of speaking to a legendary, but unknown man like yourself?”

“The Lord moved me to talk to you in the way that we’re talking right now.”

“You’re one of His tools to test and save sinners. Am I in need of such help?”

“You are, even though you’re one of the most virtuous men in the world, alongside your brother-in-arms, John Elio. Speaking of him, you can come and join us if you want, John. This is a meeting between brothers of the Lord.”

John Elio gets up from one of the tables and joins us. He’s a humbly dressed man with a deacon’s red shirt, gold cape, blue jeans, and brown boots. His golden blonde hair, shimmering blue eyes, big smile, and face look as if they reflect the sun. He looks at me like Timeo did, but doesn’t seem to look too deeply into my history.

“So, what’s the purpose of you wanting to meet Timeo here?” John asks.

“To talk to you both and congratulate you on conquering the world for God and the Church. I’m glad this age has you two leading it in the right direction. That previous so-called modern age refused to learn from the mistakes of the past and was leading the world into a suicidal spiral.”

“I guess that means you’re buying our meals and drinks?”

“Sure. They’re on the house. I’ve known the family that has run this shop for generations.”

“A deeper question we should ask is what advice do you have to give us?” Timeo asks.

“You both can read my soul and see much of what I’ve been through, so you already know much about what I’m going to say. Take what you need, and please, relax.”

“Is that really it? You don’t have a test for us that’ll place us in that pocket dimension or whatever you have for those you try to convert?”

“I don’t see why I should. Much of my power activates similarly to yours, Timeo. The Lord does much of the work, and I am merely the vessel.”

“But didn’t you say that I need help?”

“You do, and you are getting it. I won’t be able to give much more than what the Lord has given to me to give to you. Besides, if you need to know more, the Lord will find a way to give it to you.”

John Elio sits down with a cup of coffee in his hands. He says, “Let’s just enjoy the old man’s company then, Timeo. How was being a priest in the time of Jesus?”

“I made the least of it, being corrupt, and only wanting power, riches, and whatever my body craved. The greatest gift I received during those times was the wake-up call that the Lord gave me. From then on, I didn’t try to avoid pain or mitigate it. Instead, I embraced it as an offering. I gave myself up to the Romans and their Nephilim to be tortured so that my fellow Christians could live.”

“Nephilim?” Timeo asks as he sits down and sips his hot chocolate.

“Superhumans in today’s terminology. Nephilim was just what they were called in my day. They were also called witches, gods, saints, devils, mutants, and so on.”

“I see. Was there ever an age like the one we’re living in now?”

“Yes, and it was the age of the Crusades, when the Church had the sense to have the Gospel in one hand and a sword in the other, and knew when to effectively use mercy and justice. It’s a shame that age fell because of heresy and infighting. It could’ve continued for more than two hundred years if men didn’t so easily fall into corruption and the temptations of easy living.”

“Do you think our age will last as long or be shorter?”

“I can’t say for certain. All I can say is that I want it to continue for thousands of years. What the Lord has told me for certain is that your descendants will conquer and bring faith to the stars.”

“That’s interesting, but I’m fine staying on Earth,” John comments.

“You will. It’s where you belong, and your talents are needed.”

“What would you say are the most important lessons that you’ve learned in your life?”

“There’s only one, and that’s to always rely on and be faithful to the Lord. You both already know it, so no matter how many challenges you may face, you already have the catch-all solution to them.”

John and Timeo look at me and shrug their shoulders. For the next couple of hours, I talk with the two greatest heroes of this age about their lives and share stories from mine. Part of me is jealous of both of them, not just because they’ve been more virtuous than I have over their lives, but also because of the lives they lead. Both men don’t let the wealth and power they have corrupt them, and they always remember to give glory to the Lord in all they do. They’ve never cheated on their wives, and their families are the second most important things in their lives, bringing them joy and meaning.

After all is said and done, I get up from the table and say, “May the Lord always be with you, brothers. Keep up the good work and don’t let your worries and concerns for the future get to you. The world is in good hands with both of you guiding it.”

I walk outside the shop, into the light, and teleport to the next location, always thanking the Lord for everything, especially the quiet and calm moments that I’ve just had with men who best represent what true servants should be like.