Story Stopper

Epilogue

There are few things that one experiences that they can truly call miraculous; mostly because miracles are hard to come by in life but for the devout, we experience miraculous all the time through having god in our hearts. What miracle heaven is? Well, it was something that I would not try to describe in the human tongue for I am neither a saint, nor an apostle; no.  I am simply a reaper; one who hails from the greatness of a complicated love that will last forever with my eternal Grim, Dolphiel.

His misguided efforts to make sense of forever were tragic to me but I have faith in my god before I have faith in myself and I feel this may be why I have, finally, been granted the divinity of Angel class.  Michael didn't tell me why I had been granted access to heaven but I did not want to ask him out of fear that he could also take this joy away.

Things on earth had been fretful, to say the least, as of late and I had heard talk and felt so many feelings of impending doom coming from mankind.  I followed the orders handed down to me, however, and did what I always did in the embrace and love of nurturing souls unto heaven.  I have always believed that a bad man is not essentially bad; lest he be given the chance to stand naked in front of the power of his god or as much power as a reaper can muster, he will be judged unfairly.

For this mercy, the ancient Greeks called me Prometheus for what I gave unto them but I directed them to the thanks that should be handed to a merciful god.  Granted, I took a truly evil soul to hell without question but one who lived as the Nicolaitans did should not be punished for his indulgence for even Jesus on the cross said, "Forgive them o' lord, for they know not what they do."

I acknowledge that Jesus Christ came after the Greeks and forgiveness wasn't the lord's strong-suit before him but I am always a believer in god's love and mercy. Our lord and Christ simply translated that into something we could understand. Blessed is the heretical for he is but a child in the eyes of god's greatness. Mercy is what mankind deserves; even the wolves.

Through the gates, I saw the seals and I saw them opened. There before me was the throne of god. At his alter there stood those devout enough to look upon god's face and that was all they could do or care for forever after.

With my sudden visage I wanted to scream. I wanted to pour out weeping and grasping at his reinment for although j acknowledged the bliss he must have been in: his mouth open and his eyes wide; his expression filled with splendor and awe whilst his gaze was locked on the glory of our father, your father, god almighty! I wanted to wake him from my selfishness.

I felt my heart sink but my wings outstretched, I flew above the petty feelings of a reaper and into the exuberant joy of an angel. Dolphiel was where he belonged now and something on my heart and soul told me that I should not fret him and I listened unconditionally.

It was then it was announced to the heavenly host that I would be the new Grim Reaper. They acted bemused as heaven went about its bussiness. It was astir with the power of the lord but even more so: with the work that had to be done to maintain the universe and existence.

Without existence, there is chaos and in chaos the powerful play would stop but the powerful play goes on and we contribute a verse.  Some call death the story stopper; as if to die is the end of a journey but the real death would be that of the world and the universe its self and in my capacity, I swear to always fight that from happening. The grim reaper ends a life but it is to maintain the cycle of all things as well as the balance thereof. In this way, I lubricate the wheels of time, matter and all things in the name of a loving lord. I do not stop the story because without me, there would be no beginning middle and end, I am the story starter. Where does yours begin and whose ended so it could?

Story Stopper

Part VI: Death within Me

For a long time, I evaded heaven. The earthly planes are like a desert to the angels and they did not know how to find me but the force of God is to powerful to challenge.

Honestly, I had never meant to challenge god but being half angel and half human, I could see both sides.

Lucifer was right in the part that he said the Angels did not have the free will of man but having the free will, humans were not equals either. The one thing that they lacked, the reapers held in abundance. Reapers were not supposed to leave the confines of the vortex between the worlds but the new ones that I was making were in part imbued with the divinity of Lucifer and/or myself.

On the earth, so many were taken, they called it the end of days. I reaped only from the future world Lucifer had shown me because there were more souls there and going back would reduce the number of souls I had to reap.

It was amazing how many I could take in one fell swoop. It was astonishing at how, for all their magnificence and innovation, man really was as fragile as the biblical analogy of sheep.

The reaping was so easy... too easy... it was easy enough that through such ease of mass slaughter, I began to wonder if this creation of the lord was really worthy of the wonders of the universe?

I became lost. The silence of the heavens, due to my evasion, became like a great din in my heart and Lucifer's pain permeated me.

Before I knew it, my reign of terror had stopped and I had drained myself of so much angelic essence that I was practically human.

In this time, I found myself at the throne of the lord looking down at the floor.

"Dolphiel, you disappoint me," the voice said. "You have brought about a new chance for man kind, however, and for that I am greatful. You have also brought legions of demi-angels to heaven and sacrificed your own angelic essence to do this and for this, I cannot condemn you to hell. I can't let you continue with your job, however; your will is too strong and free. Therefore, I will bless you: look up! And gaze upon my face."

Story Stopper

Part XV: Death Forever

The wind beneath my feathers, I floated downwards to meet him. Dressed in shining armor and glowing white with the full force of an archangel, Lucifer stretched out his wings and the awesome power of his light shown upon my like a conflagration. What brilliance he had for the leader of all things evil. What beauty was he for a denier of God!

I knew what must be done but was lost in the beauty of this creature before me.

"You were cast out, banished, ostracized, Lucifer! But you never fell," I said.

He laughed and spoke, "you are observant of my beauty but you also know I can take many forms, ay?"

"I know you're a lost, petulant, little boy with daddy issues," I said.

"How dare you!" He snapped, " you may still be in his graces but I was once and still have the force of a higher choir of angel! You impudent little wretch! You dare to talk to me that way?"

"You are the lord of lies. You have lied so much, you have forgotten that you may be higher born than I but neither one of us trumps god."

"I lost a battle, Dolphiel, but gaze upon my brilliance! Look at the cruelty of your god! Think you: that if he felt you were not worth his graces, he wouldn't cast you out? Do you not see that an angel is but a servant to god but to me, we are masters of all that we see? We are a brotherhood that supercedes the failure that is humanity!"

"God created this universe for them!..."
"...And what did He make for us?" I was but a sheep in a small corral before he created the universe for man.

"No!" I said, "he created earth for man. Man is free to roam the universe on his own force of will but can he? Not in his wildest dreams. Man is limited by mortality..."
"...you speak of weakness!"

"Perhaps, but where man gets free will to own his planet, you have the high heavens to roam. Look at all that is the domain of god and his power and all you must do to be part of that is to accept him as the lord supreme and carry out what is his will.

What a magnificence it is to be an angel, Lucifer. Man gets to go to heaven but he changes and leaves some behind. He is enraptured by the magnificence of heaven but he is not free to roam it as the angels are.

For this, you do not even belong in hell. This is too good for you! You belong with Death forever!"

With the end of my sentence, I swung my scythe and slew Lucifer. I took his divine essence into me and kept it there to feed me. I went out and began to reap the souls of all that I could. I created "accidents" and "natural" disasters that were beyond god's plan and his will.

With Lucifer's essence and my human side, I was very hard for the angel's to find and the souls I reaped were dumped in the heavens and it was there they overflowed but most of them, became reapers like me...