CHAPTER XI
Gods
During Lucifer's captivity, Azazel discovered a way for the fallen Cherubim to leave the Abyss and roam the world. Her hatred for the rise of Man, whom Azazel blamed for the war in the Four Heavens and the death of her beloved Ravel, had so much fueled her willpower that it evolved beyond the ability to read the human mind.
Azazel was the first demon capable to project and supersede her thoughts to those of a human.
She possessed a dying old man seconds before he died, but it was enough for her to gain absolute control of the faculties of his mortal body. Other demons sensed Azazel's projection, as well as the angels who guarded the entrance to the Abyss.
Azazel felt the angelic minds chase her thoughts out of the elder, who then perished without his relatives, gathered around his deathbed, ever suspected that he had become the first victim of demonic possession.
Fearing the reaction of the angels, Matraton, then the ruler of the Dark City, had forbade Azazel, or any other fallen, from pursuing further incursions into human bodies.
However, God had forsaken the world to Lucifer, who decided to revoke Matraton's decree. Still, the number of possessions, which had the Devil's full support, proved disappointing.
Few of the fallen, were ancient Seraphim or Cherubim, could possess a mortal. Only those who hated humanity in the fullness of their strength held such a skill. And the masters in this unholy art were Azazel, Pazuzu, Belial, Leviathan, and Abaddon. Azazel, however, was able to go further than any other. Her possessions reached such perfection that they became undetectable to both angels and fallen, which allowed her to commit the most atrocious crimes disguised among the humans.
The fall of Babel and the split of languages laid the foundations necessary for Lucifer to establish his reign over the world. And he did it cheerfully. Demons easily mastered the new and rudimentary human dialects. Divided into countless tribes unable to understand each other, Man were terribly weakened. And the Devil had every interest in keeping them that way.
Lucifer imposed a distinct religion for each tribe, seeking to accentuate the particularities and differences of each; all of them, however, based on the same common denominator: fear, especially the dread of death, the elements and the unknown. And Man feared the different, and that led to hostility. And hostility brought distrust, hatred, and conflict. Humanity became the predator of its own kind. And Man bowed to false gods.
Lucifer and his demons presented themselves as benevolent figures, with promises of infinite pleasures for the afterlife. They mixed good and evil, whether they were kind or not depending on the devotion and sacrifices that were offered to them by their human followers. They were preferably associated with elements such as gods of the Sun, Moon, rain, crops, winds... Each demanded larger and better temples, dedicated to their respective names. For futile and vain became the demons, competing for the worship of Man, and enjoying being courted, feared, and loved.
Whatever the religion, Lucifer always embodied the most powerful and revered deity, arousing great envy in Matraton and his entourage. Eager to humiliate Matraton and insidiously manipulate human fear, Lucifer propagated false myths about a place of eternal damnation where the souls of the infidels would be cast. And this place he called Hell, a dreadful word translated into every human language and creed. He chose Matraton as the leader of the forces of darkness, and thus Lucifer distorted the concepts of good and evil so that they might serve his interests, ensuring human fidelity to his many faces and denominations.
The Devil's kingdom on Earth prospered with impunity for countless generations. But tired of the lies scattered by Lucifer, God took pity on Man. Not enough to forgive humanity's past transgressions, however, granted His most beloved creation with a final opportunity. Man failed under the best possible conditions when protected by God and His angels. For now, humankind would have to prove its worth under the worst of all circumstances, under the terrible heel of Lucifer. God would show the way to His children, but it would be up to them to decide, through free will, whether they would embrace good or evil. The time had come for humanity to demonstrate, by its own effort and virtues, whether it was worthy of the Creator.
This profound change started with one single man.
His name was Zarathustra, and he dwelt east of what would one day become the kingdom of Persia. During his childhood, Zarathustra had lived with his parents and six other siblings in a modest hut on the slope of an arid mountain, surviving on the flesh and milk of the goats they herded. Everything changed one night when a fire consumed their home and the lives of his family. Zarathustra miraculously escaped this tragedy without a single scratch or burn, while of the others only remained their charred bones.
Lonely and hungry, Zarathustra wandered the mountains, feeding on bitter roots and the birds he hunted with stones. He finally found shelter in a dirty, murky cave, high on a steep, ugly mountain; from its walls flowed precious drinking water.
For the following years, that difficult life forged Zarathustra into a strong and hard man. However, he feared his isolation would eventually take away his sanity, exactly what he thought when he spotted a luminous being at the entrance of his cave at the dawn of his twentieth birthday. It was the first of many appearances the angel Gabriel would make to Zarathustra during his lifetime. For God had chosen Zarathustra to be His primordial messiah. Therefore, the Almighty sent the Herald to instruct the young man in the true nature of good and evil. Gabriel taught him the principle by which those who believe in the Lord should live.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
In this way, all true religions originated in Zarathustra, imbued with this basic principle, and dedicated exclusively to the One God.
Rumors of the new faith, which preached love and compassion instead of the power and pride of the false gods, soon reached Lucifer, at the ends of the Great Pyramid of the Abyss. And he dispatched his scouts into the world, and they discovered that the message of the One God spread rapidly among humans. Alarmed, Lucifer appeared before Purgatory.
Gabriel came to the Devil and revealed to him the Lord's plans.
Lucifer became angry, for the Heavens had broken their agreement with the Abyss. Gabriel shrugged, stating that the reign of demons remained on Earth, unless they hurt a human. Only, they should learn to live with God's message.
Lucifer returned to the Abyss with a bitter taste in his mouth. He felt powerless before God's army, obliged to accept what they imposed on him. Suddenly Lucifer realized that, despite his rebellion, he continued, in a way, to heed God's orders. The Devil doubted for a moment his real freedom and independence. But he promptly tried to fend off such thoughts. He was not prepared to confront them, especially after all he had sacrificed, all he had to give up, especially his place with the Creator.
Lucifer turned his frustration into obsession. If he could not destroy the message, he would end the messenger. His scouts easily located the herald of the faith in the One God, a man who traveled the world preaching the word of the Lord and was, at the time, in the city of Sodom.
Zarathustra was then forty-five years old, his skin marked by the rigors of the sun-drenched days and the cold nights of the desert, gray strands began to impose themselves on his long beard and brown hair. Yet, he still retained the same dignity and disposition of youth.
Zarathustra spent the night at the invitation of a taverner newly converted to the true faith, in his best room, a very welcome change for one accustomed to sleeping in the open. Until then, it had been a good pilgrimage. Only that night, dozens of residents had gathered at the tavern to hear the messiah. Zarathustra believed he had touched many hearts, and maybe saved a few souls.
However, the night was not yet over when an angel appeared in the room. The windows had opened by themselves so he could fly in. He was a magnificent Seraph, more handsome and luminous than Gabriel.
Still, Zarathustra noticed something evil in his eyes and recognized him for his proud appearance.
“Lucifer, the Enemy”, Zarathustra said. “What do you want from me, Dark Lord?”
“The correct question is what can I do for you,” Lucifer smiled, malicious and insinuating.
“I don't understand.”
“Wealth, power, women -- or men if you prefer them. I can give you everything you want and far beyond what you ever dreamed of,” Lucifer offered. “Before the flood, humans lived for centuries. Today, you are nothing but a weak and frightened race that lasts a few decades. Join me and you will live for a millennium, enjoying unparalleled pleasures.”
Lucifer extended his arms to Zarathustra, but the messiah refused them.
“I will never join you,” the human replied. “I have God by my side.”
“Naïve fool!” mocked Lucifer. “God has already forsaken humanity once and will do it again!”
“He will never abandon us. We are the most loved.”
Lucifer grabbed the man by the neck, lifting him into the air and violently squeezing his back against a wall. The Devil's hand was like a steel shackle compressing Zarathustra's windpipe.
“Go ahead,” Zarathustra challenged the Devil, with a weak, suffocated voice. “I have my soul... You can't touch it...”
Lucifer left Zarathustra before his fingers finished the deadly grip. The man fell heavily.
“Where is your power now, demon?” mocked Zarathustra. “God is stronger and protects me from you.”
“Maybe -- But there are other ways.”
Lucifer departed.
His brilliance had become more intense and ghastlier, such the anger of his humiliation. No one had ever addressed the Firstborn like that. The boldness, the petulance, the disdain of that inferior and despicable creature!
Lucifer crossed the city on a nervous flight. He awakened Nesai, king of Sodom, presenting himself in his chambers as Dagon, God of Air and Fire, equally venerated in Gomorrah as the greatest of the gods.
Lucifer commanded Nesai to pour out the wrath of his crown upon Zarathustra and his heretical followers.
Zarathustra offered no resistance to Sodom's soldiers who came to pick him up at the tavern that same night. Zarathustra was thrown into a cell under kicks and whipping. A hundred innocent faithful of the One God were tied to stakes arranged by the city's main square and burned alive in macabre bonfires at sunrise. Through their martyrdom, the true religion would survive to blossom decades later, including in Sodom's twin city, Gomorrah.
During the following weeks, Zarathustra suffered the most gruesome torture. He had his eyes torn out, his feet calcined, his genitals pierced with thorns, his hands and feet crushed under hammering, his body raped by filthy men. Finally, they tied his legs and arms to a pair of huge bulls, incited in opposite directions, tearing him to pieces in a bloody, cruel death. Thus, ended the days of Zarathustra, the first messiah of God and father of all religions dedicated to the cause of love and justice.
Zarathustra was followed by other holy men who vented the message of good throughout the world. Such prophets as Buddha, Krishna, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad became God's instruments to bring ruin to the Devil and his evil reign on Earth.
Lucifer, for his part, was determined to resist. He was ruthless in employing his human servants to crush and destroy the religions of the One God, wherever they arose. The Lord's faithful found themselves hunted as animals, their altars devastated, and their sacred texts shattered. Yet, despite all the repression and slaughter, faith in goodness and love slowly and inexorably flourished in the spirit of Man.
It soon rivaled and, through the lands of the East, even overcame the cults practiced to the false gods.
The advancement of the One God tormented Lucifer. He saw his power over Man fade, despite his best efforts. Some demons began to question the Devil's leadership as they watched their temples wander and the ancient religions succumb. Matraton, soaking up since losing the throne to the Firstborn, summoned his servants to galvanize their growing frustration.
Absorbed in his struggle against good, Lucifer neglected evil. He favored the development of a new weapon he called Infiltrators: an elite group formed by the few demons who dominated human possession. The purpose of the Infiltrators could not be clearer, to identify the Creator's messiahs, their followers, and places of congregation, so that humans loyal to Lucifer could eliminate them more efficiently.
One of the largest chambers of the Great Pyramid was adapted to house the Infiltrators, who, during their missions, remained asleep and vulnerable, with their thoughts traveling to occupy mortal bodies. This enclosure came to be known as the Glasshouse and hosted thirteen beds to the thirteen demons who controlled the art of possession. Its entrance was kept under the constant guard of a company of Luciferes.
Infiltrator missions became so long and frequent that the unit members rarely left the Glasshouse. Tens of thousands of faithful to the One God perished because of their service. However, despite their dedication and competence, the Infiltrators could only delay, never avoid, the irresistible ascension of the One God upon the Earth. A good example of this was Abraham, the Lord's influential prophet who escaped three attempts on his life, thanks to the divine protection of angels.
Lucifer was rightly evaluating with Azazel the last of these failed attempts, conducted by Assyrian assassins, duly massacred by Cherub Estalir, when the Earth trembled. Lucifer took off to the origin of the shockwaves that still reverberated through the walls of the Abyss. He found Gabriel hovering above it. Or, more precisely, over an immense crater, still steaming, where once there was the city of Gomorrah.
“Gabriel!” called Lucifer, astonished. “What have you done?”
“Sodom's men tried to rape two Cherubim on a visit to a faithful family,” Gabriel said.
“Foolish humans!” the Enemy reacted, enraged.
The Cherubim removed the eyes of their attackers. However, Sodom's iniquity went too far.
Sodom and Gomorrah were evil-dominated cities, and God wanted them both to be wiped off the face of the Earth.
“We have a deal, my brother. You angels cannot openly intervene like this on Earth.”
“I know, brother. You're facing an exception.”
Lucifer's sense of helplessness increased, feeling his fate less and less in his hands. More than acting, Lucifer seemed only to react to God's designs. His ramblings were suddenly interrupted by the rise of a rock in the sky.
“Beautiful, isn´t it?” Gabriel said. “The first one went to Gomorrah. This one comes for Sodom.”
Lucifer remembered the huge rock he once cast himself, from the darkness of space toward Earth. That one now, however, had much smaller dimensions, yet enough to smash Sodom in a Gomorrah-like crater.
“Who are those?” said Lucifer, about a line of circa twenty people leaving Sodom towards a nearby mountain. “Followers of God?”
“Yes. The only ones we could find in Sodom. Gomorrah's are already safe.”
Lucifer wondered at a woman who stubbornly and recklessly halted her steps, and, contrary to God's will, turned to watch the destruction of the city.
A deadly spectacle offered itself to her eyes. The impact of the rock obliterated Sodom under a mushroom of fire, smoke, and particles, casting a cloud of incandescent dust across the valley. The woman was engulfed by the wave of debris that clung to her skin, turning her into a stone statue, with a suffocating agony immortalized on her face.
The faithful reached the foot of the mountain safely, while Lucifer set off back to the Abyss with a new mission for Azazel, keeping that small group under surveillance. He intended to eliminate them at the first opportunity that arose.
However, the faithful were led by Lot, a wise man who survived the Devil's wiles and gave rise to two kingdoms: Moab and Ammon.