Chapter Eleven
Hidden Realms
The breeze was quite refreshing. It carried with it the tangy scent of salt. All in all it was my first experience of seeing a large body of water. I’d only seen ponds and lakes up till now, but the Orgallion Sea was much more.
It hinted at freedom to look upon its wide-open expanses, but freedom was far from me at the moment. However, so were the expected hardships of being a prisoner of war.
I gazed around the opulently furnished room in a sense of continual puzzlement. I felt more like an honored guest than I did a prisoner.
I knew there were guards outside the door, but there was little in the way of making me feel like an impoverished prisoner whose life was easily forfeit. It felt odd. Somehow I think I’d have been more at home with the sounds of water dripping off the ceiling of a dungeon and the sound of rats gnawing on a bone in a darkened corner.
The opulence of this room in comparison to that dark reality was unsettling. It would have been easier to hate my foe, if I had been suffering under the other reality. As it was I almost felt indebted to the man who had taken me prisoner. I might actually have to leave a note of apology when I made my attempt to escape out the window tonight.
“I want you to stay,” spoke an indwelling voice from within, which I recognized instantly as that of Ruach, the Spirit of El Elyon.
Stunned, I stared out the window. I wasn’t supposed to try to escape?
“No,” came the affirming answer from within.
Time passed and then, as before, came words from within, “Do not be in fear. If you wish to understand you have but to ask.”
I went with the obvious, “You want me to be a prisoner?”
Silence met my question. I thought about my question and I decided that it had been a flawed one. The matter-of-fact truth was that I was a prisoner. But what was more than that was that the Ruach not only knew my situation, but had asked me to stay in it. My question had been a denial of what was obviously El Elyon's will.
With my tongue thick in my mouth I tried to rephrase the question, but I found it difficult to do so. I really didn’t like being a prisoner and embracing it was hard, but there was no other way.
“Ruach, could you help me understand what it is I am to do for El Elyon in my current situation of being held against my will? I will do El Elyon’s will, even if it is to remain a prisoner.”
“Go to the window Benaiah.”
Blankly I stared at the window in front of which I already stood. Only a foot separated me from touching the glass. However, not wanting to anger the Ruach, I stepped forward.
Blinking, I realized that I was suddenly no longer in my room. I was on the street of a foreign looking city and yet I wasn’t. Looking up towards the hill of the city I saw the very palace that I had been led to earlier in the day. I even thought I could see the window out of which I had been looking just moments before.
All the activities of city life were taking place around me and yet it felt as if I walked in a dream. People went about their business all around me and yet none of them seemed to be aware of me. In fact one walked right through me.
Alarmed, I dodged off to the side of another unseeing man’s approach. This made no sense!
Was I dead?
Just as I had that thought came an answer, “No. Your spirit is in a realm outside of the physical. Your body remains within the palace.”
The words had not come from within, and I felt very sure that I had heard them as actual spoken words. I turned about and caught sight of someone watching me.
The individual wore a cloak and had the appearance of a man, but somehow I knew he wasn’t. I stood my ground as he approached, even as I had the awful feeling that I was no match for this being.
Uncertain that I even wanted to ask the question I asked, “Can you help me?”
The man smiled and nodded, “That is my purpose. I am here upon the express will of El Elyon to assist you. My name is Urtholan. I am of the Malachim.”
My heart had sped up within me until I feared that it was making an audible sound. What was going on?
Urtholan reached out and touched my arm, “Peace Benaiah. I mean you no harm.”
Unsteadily I asked, “You’re not a fallen one are you?”
“No, I remain faithful to the Creator of my kind and yours, and indeed of all creation. I have been appointed to help you Benaiah.”
“Why me? I’m just a man. Why would you be brought into the service of helping me?”
Urtholan touched his chest and said, “I serve the Father as do you, so it is to Him that all glory from any action of mine or yours goes. Your Creator loves you very much and the faithfulness of your path is not one often traveled among men. It is an honor to serve alongside of you for the furtherance of the kingdom of Shamayim.”
It was very hard to digest and yet, not wanting to be deceived, I said, “El Elyon if this is not of you then wake me up now!”
Nothing happened. Nothing but a sudden infilling of peace, which assured me of the source of this encounter.
Swallowing, as I tried to come to grips with this situation that was yet far beyond me, I said, “El Elyon’s Spirit was going to show me my purpose for being here in Crona I think. Do you know anything about that?”
Urtholan nodded and gestured for me to walk. I started out and he came alongside of me. Glancing surreptitiously over at him I studied him and then quite honestly I said, “I don’t understand any of this or why it’s happening, much less what’s going on all around me.”
Urtholan nodded and began to speak, “There are two sides to any reality, the physical which you have lived in up till now and the spiritual. Within the spiritual realm there are many levels. The highest of which is Shamayim, but what you see here is a much lower spiritual level. The spiritual world in general goes largely unseen by that which is physical, but it exists nonetheless. Sometimes the two merge and that which is spiritual is seen in the physical. Reversely, that which is prayed for by believers in the physical manifests over into the spiritual realm.”
“So I’m existing in both realms right now?”
Urtholan smiled, “No, you exist in the flesh and the reality of this created world and yet you bear within you the Ruach, the Spirit of El Elyon, which is eternal. You as an individual, because of your free choice of will have become spiritual and yet you remain physical for this present time. You have ushered in a new life beyond just the physical life you exhibit now. You have chosen wisely.”
“So I’m alive, but being shown through a reality apart from my own, but which one day I could belong to, like you?”
“Yes, but when that day comes it will occur in Shamayim and not this level that I show you now. Look around you Benaiah. Look closely. Tell me what you see.”
We’d come to a stop in a busy street and obediently I did as Urtholan commanded me. Looking around I studied the people that moved about on the scene.
A merchant was talking earnestly with a woman who wasn’t showing much interest in his available wares. Despite his efforts the woman moved on. Then, surprisingly, the man looked from her to me and I found myself on the verge of backing away as I was instantly smacked in the face by an evil presence.
Complete evil was the best description I could muster to describe what I felt. The man reminded me of the Itarga lion people all over again and yet this evil was cloaked invisibly within the body of a normally appearing man.
“A demon possessed individual,” Urtholan commented softly and despite the merchant's wrathful stare I felt myself comforted by being in the presence of Urtholan. Urtholan’s arm came around me and he urged me to keep walking on down the street. I felt the comfort of being with Urtholan as if he was a lifeline pulling me out of deep water.
I soon saw that the merchant wasn’t alone. There were more men and even women that stared at me outside of any ability within the physical realm.
“Demons. What are they exactly?” I asked, feeling the weight of the gazes of those I had just mentioned upon me.
“They are the result of disobedience. They are the progeny of those of my kind that fell from grace and worked evil with the creations of my Master. They are abominable in the eyes of El Elyon and without any hope of a future resurrection, as their spirit was not given birth by the Most High.”
“Why are we here with them? I’m pretty sure they want to do terrible things to me, the least of which would be to simply kill me.”
“It is as you said. They wish to torment and kill all of humanity and put an end to all that El Elyon has purposed for mankind, but they will fail, for it is the will of the Father to draw all mankind to Himself.”
“When will He do that?”
Urtholan gave me a sad look, “He already has, but few have listened. I believe you know of whom I speak.”
“Yes. I know,” his words brought the loss of Kuri’s presence with me all the closer to my soul. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t miss how it used to be, but Kuri had not left me without comfort and now, looking at Urtholan, I could see that he had not left me without a guide either.
“Take comfort. One day those who believe will be gathered to Him again in time without end,” Urtholan said warmly to me before starting to walk again.
I followed along looking around as I did. I was learning so much! It was like a fountain of wisdom had been opened up within me and was spilling out and enriching every corner of my existence.
My eyes fell upon a woman. She was dressed in the attire of a prostitute and she had the affected mannerisms to match. She also stared at me with evil intent and yet I felt that the apathy I saw went deeper than those who had come before.
I glanced to see Urtholan also regarding the woman closely. Unlike the others with evil in their eyes the woman began to approach us brazenly. At her approach I began to feel extremely vulnerable……… no, that wasn’t the word for it. I felt naked!
Naked of any ability to stop whatever harm she intended to do to me. Before my eyes the woman transformed into a being of Sheol and I instantly wanted to start backing away, even running to get away from the sight of what lay before me.
Urtholan’s hand on my back remained steady though and seemed to anchor me to the spot. I remembered that he was my guide into this realm. Surely if El Elyon had purposed this, and I knew He had, then He would also keep me safe. I felt an answering pulse of peace from within and I stood rooted in my place before the face of incarnate evil before me.
“So Urtholan, I see you have a new protégé to keep watch over. I do hope this one turns out better than the last one.” The being of Sheol laughed uproariously.
Urtholan said nothing but only continued to watch the approach of the fallen one of his kind. Fallen wasn’t the name for it! Everything that I felt in the calm securing presence of Urtholan was mimicked in the opposite extreme in the firebreather before me.
“Well, how about it boy? Do you have a name or does your guardian not allow you to speak for yourself? There are so many rules after all.”
Words seemed to come to me as the being wreathed in flame came to a stop within reach of me, “I imagine you already know my name and as far as that goes, I do not wish to know yours in return. It is enough for me to know that I have chosen my eternity wisely, while you chose poorly.”
I really tried not to flinch as the fallen Malachim screamed in fury and made to strike at me. Urtholan’s hand was in front of me and some force beyond my comprehension drove the fallen one backward from us a short distance.
Urtholan’s actions only seemed to incense my antagonist the more, but it made no attempt to draw closer again.
“Very well boy. Enjoy the day, but remember you’re only as strong as your last choice, which for you pathetic humans changes daily if not hourly. When you mess up, and you will, I and my offspring will be waiting to claim what is ours! Your soul will roast with us in Sheol forever! Don’t believe me? Ask your protector what happened to the last one he helped.”
“Be on your way Sisakar and trouble him no further as I fear you have begun to believe the lies of your master. This man is near in the eyes of El Elyon and any attack by you is not one fended off by me, but rather by El Elyon. Tell me Sisakar, are you yet so foolish to believe that you can prevail against the Most High and the things which He has purposed to come to pass?”
Sisakar did not answer and quickly moved away from view, but I still felt his foul presence in the city at large. The entire city seemed oppressed by the evil thoughts and prayers of those who walked around unseen by the masses.
It was suddenly as if I could see through all the buildings and structures of the city and only see the evil ones that walked about. The messengers of evil were everywhere and I saw no joy in the faces of their victims that moved about as if rehearsing a play called life.
Noticing the general despondency of almost everyone, something that I hadn’t picked up on before, I asked, “Is it just the presence of all these evil ones that oppresses the people or is there something more?”
Urtholan looked upon the city with quiet reflection in his gaze as he spoke, “By their own actions they have distanced themselves from El Elyon until He is but a vague memory in their thoughts. In the houses of some every foul image of idolatry and sacrament of Sheol has been celebrated and welcomed until the freedom that was theirs by right is no more. They are a people in bondage and now their self-elected masters of darkness demand a sacrifice of them.”
“What are they sacrificing?”
“The only thing that still retains innocence.”
“I don’t understand. I………” Abrupt knocking on the door behind me made me suddenly aware of the fact that I was back in my room and that my strange spiritual encounter on the streets below was over.
The door opened and in walked Artaxis with a bright smile, “I see you’re admiring the view of our fair city. Tell me, what do you think of it?”
Turning briefly, I glanced back out the window before saying to Artaxis, “I think your city is beautiful and yet I wish I did not see so many temples dedicated to the fallen ones. You would do well to remember El Elyon as a people and forsake those you serve instead.
Then I added, “I can’t also help but see that I think Crona would be a more prosperous nation if there was once again peace between it and Philanthia.”
To my surprise Artaxis nodded and said, “I agree with both points, but you do not understand the situation with which my people are faced.”
“No, I do not, but I very much would like to. What stands in the way of changing your faith and once again embracing peace?”
“Let us not speak of that now. Suffice it to say that the war will go on.”
Before I could speak, Artaxis held his hand up and with a piercing stare said, “No more questions about war or faith. Tonight you are my guest and I wish, if but for a moment, to separate away from the grim reality that both our peoples are caught up in, with a fellow warrior that I have long wished to meet.”
I bit my tongue against what I wanted to say. Angering my generous captor probably wasn’t for the best. I would have to bide my time and ask questions later in order to figure out the puzzle of why a nation such as Crona was at war, when it was not in their heart to be so.
Obediently I followed Artaxis out of the room. The guards followed behind, but the distance was such that I could’ve easily overpowered Artaxis and had him at my mercy, but I was under orders not to escape and I intended to listen to them.