After a few seconds of silence, she asked, “This is real, isn’t it?”
My heart broke for her.“Yes, it is.”
I watched her let out a shaky breath, and my heart really did hurt for her.I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to learn that all of humanity rested on your shoulders in a fight that you were going into completely blind.While Ramiel had claimed that he’d explain everything once she accepted her fate, explaining the logistics of war still wasn’t the same as being actually at war.
After giving her a moment, I asked, “Do you know who the demon was?The one talking to you?”
I watched proudly as Elisabeth slid comfortably into her element, her personal stake in all this set aside for the moment.“Obviously, there’s Lucifer, who is the same as Satan, and we all know his story.Though he is never described as the ruler of Hell in The Bible, he is.However, while he has the power to torment and corrupt on earth’s level, his actions are bound in Hell.He also can’t send people to Hell, even though he’s the most powerful demon in The Bible.Only God can judge and order someone’s fate.”
“But it’s clear that if God hasn’t made Himself known to you, then Satan wouldn’t come out this early in the game, yeah?”
She nodded.“Yeah, it’s too early to pull out the big guns.”Elisabeth let out another exhausted breath.“Next mentioned in The Bible is Molech, and as a mesh of many creatures, he is said to symbolize some of the darkest traits in humankind.He also wanted to wage a new war after Satan had failed, and he is said to have no regard for the sanctity of human life.He’s also like Rumpelstiltskin, in which he will exercise power on your behalf, but only in a favor or a horrible sacrifice later.”
“That doesn’t sound like who we just encountered, either,” I murmured.
“Now, while there’s a long list of demons and an actual hierarchy, only five are specifically mentioned in The Bible, leaving Azazel, Abaddon, and Legion as the other three.”
“Okay, who are they?”
“Azazel is a scapegoat for sin,” she went on to explain.“He is said to be the personification of the unclean, and while sin is definitely running rampant here on earth, he wouldn’t be leading anything like this.It’s not that he cannot, but more so that it’s not his place.”
“Okay, and Legion?”
“Legion was a man that had been possessed by so many demons that the sheer number was where his name had come from,” she went on.“However, when God encounters him, He saves him, so it can’t be him.”
“Then you’re thinking Abaddon?”
“He is known as the angel of a bottomless pit, but he’s a wild card,” she said, gnawing at her lower lip.“In The Bible, he brought judgment in the name of God, but then sided with Lucifer in the war.”
“Then who else could it be?”
“Pytho is the prince of deceit, and Baal is the commander of the armies of hell, but...but I think it was Abaddon.”
“Why?”
“Because I think that he was feeling me out,” she answered.“It’s said that he and his underlings will inflect unspeakable pain upon the unsaved, but that God will still be in control of who lives and dies.While Abaddon won’t be allowed to destroy humanity completely, he will be an active part in this war, no matter who wins.”
“Because you don’t believe that God will win?”I asked, a bit stunned when she was so damn devout in her beliefs.
“I think that God will always win,” she assured me.“However, there’s a reason that Ramiel keeps mentioning our free will.”
“You’re thinking that we’ll be given the option to choose sides and...and what?That people will choose...chooseHell?”I practically squawked in disbelief.“Who in their right mind would choose Hell over Heaven?”
A profound sadness filled her eyes as she said, “Look around you, Lazarus.People are choosing Hell over Heaven every day.Remember, Lucifer doesn’t come to you in the form of ugliness.He comes to you in a form of beauty that rivals nothing else.He lures you in with a magic that turns your soul as black as night.All you have to do is acknowledge the truth about any crimes against children or animals to see that it’s true.Lucifer’s promises have always sounded more alluring than the chance at eternity that God has promised us.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t wrong.“Why do you think that is?”
“Because people want to feel good in the moment,” she answered.“People don’t care about life after death because they’re not there yet.They are living in the here and now, andthat’swhat they care about.Very few people prepare for the future, and that means spiritually also.”
After digesting her words for a minute, I said, “We need to speak with Ramiel again.”
Elisabeth nodded tiredly.“I know.”
“Look, we still have a couple of hours before we have to be up for work,” I told her.“How about we try to get as much rest as we can?”
She let out a sad laugh.“I’m definitely taking a nap for lunch today.”
“Baby, don’t tell me that you’re not eating,” I scolded softly.“If I have to take lunch to you, I will.”
