Seeing the familiar green liquid, I twisted the top off, then drank straight from the bottle, hoping that I didn’t overdose or something stupid like that.Still, after taking a little more than the recommended dose, I raced back to the bedroom, then climbed into bed, my arms wrapping around Elisabeth in some small attempt to let her know that I was still with her.
Laying there, I prayed for sleep, but I mostly prayed that I wouldn’t be too late.More than I wanted to save humanity, I needed to save Elisabeth.
Chapter 25
Elisabeth~
I was back at the edge of the chasm, but this time, there was no smoke rising from below.This time, everything was clear, the army of demons on the other side as visible as the sky on a sunny day.There appeared to be thousands of them, but that could also just be an optical illusion.Not for a second would I trust anything that these entities showed me.
I was also alone, which didn’t make sense.While I’d known that they were going to come for me, for some reason, I’d been under the impression that Lazarus, Luther, and everyone else that God had deemed worthy would be here with me.Luther had spoken of fighting alongside me, so why weren’t they here?More importantly, why wasn’t Lazarus here?While I couldn’t speak for all the others, it hadn’t ever been a problem to pull Lazarus in with me, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Elisheva,” Eligos greeted, my name a hiss on his lips like he was tasting it, my mind automatically knowing who he was for some reason.“It is good to see you, my child.”
I stared at the war demon, and I wasn’t surprised that it was him greeting me.After all, he was one of the great dukes of Hell, and he ruled sixty legions of demons, which would explain the army standing behind him.When summoned, it was said that he appeared as a gallant knight, and in the realm of warfare, he was impressive in unparalleled strategies, leadership, and military tactics.However, looking at him from across the chasm, he didn’t appear as a formidable knight, ready for battle.He looked like all the other demons that I’d encountered, only a bit bigger.
“Eligos,” I replied as evenly as I could, doing my best to hold my own without Lazarus with me.
“All those false prophets throughout the years to finally find a true child of God,” he stated, but his words didn’t ring true.After all, we were all true children of God, so I could only conclude that he was trying to confuse me.
“You speak as if I am without sin,” I countered.“And I am not.”
“Ah, Elisheva...”he purred.“This is not about what you do.This is about what’s in your heart.This is about what is reflected in your soul.This is about more than just attending church every Sunday, then acting as if we and God don’t see you the other six days of the week.”
Ignoring him, I glanced around, recognizing his words for the distraction that they were.Since demons could materialize out of nowhere, the chasm wasn’t a deterrent for them.It was actually a way to herd me in place.Since I didn’t know the rules, I wasn’t about to take a chance down there, and they knew that.They knew that they had the advantage here, and that fact was a bit disorientating.All this time, I’d been under the impression that they’d been inside my mind, but they hadn’t been.Whatever this place was, it was more than a simple dream of my subconscious.
For a moment, I wondered if this was Purgatory, but then I remembered that my corporeal self was still alive, so this was something else.Now, while a lot of people thought that Purgatory was a second chance to get into Heaven, awaiting one’s fate, it wasn’t.Purgatory was the last chance for the righteous to ask for forgiveness in order to enter Heaven.It usually pertained to sudden or unexpected deaths, which lacked the opportunity to repent, and so that’s what Purgatory was for them.It wasn’t to give all sinners a second chance at redemption.
“With or without me, you cannot defeat God,” I said, looking back at the army of darkness.“You have to know that.”
He let out a condescending laugh before saying, “Elisheva, we’re not here to wage war on God.”
“Then what are you here for?”I snapped.
“We are here to wage war on His children,” he informed me, and that’s when it all suddenly made sense.“We’re here for you, because if we can possess you, then we can possess them all.”
My hands began to shake as I finally realized what this was.I finally understood why Lazarus had to protect me.I finally read between the lines of everything that Luther had told me.It wasn’t up to me to slay a legion of demons in a bid to save humanity; it was up to humanity to determine ifIwas worth saving.If I was truly the miracle that Ramiel had claimed, then the sacrifices made here today would restore God’s faith in His children, proving that not all was lost after all.
